
Swiss-made CityCat set to clean Bengaluru's roads
Bengaluru: Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike (BBMP) has introduced a new road sweeping machine, the CityCat, in a pilot project to aid its urban cleaning operations.
Manufactured by Bucher Industries from Switzerland, the vehicle is equipped with 360-degree suction technology and a digital control panel.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
According to officials, it can capture fine dust particles such as PM2.5 and PM10, which are considered harmful to air quality in cities. The machine can operate at speeds of up to 25 kmph and is designed to support cleaning in densely populated areas.
BBMP currently uses mechanical sweepers on several arterial roads. The induction of the CityCat adds to this fleet and is intended to support the civic body's broader initiative to improve street cleanliness and air quality in public spaces.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


News18
15 hours ago
- News18
Bengaluru Traffic Inspires Newton's Fourth Law: ‘Auto At Rest Will Remain...'
Last Updated: Stuck in traffic near Brookfield, an X user posted a screenshot of his Google Maps, which estimated 48 minutes to travel just 3.6 kilometres. Bengaluru, often referred to as the IT capital of India, continues to draw professionals from every corner of the country with its countless job opportunities. But for all its growth and tech boom, the city has long been infamous for one thing – its unbearable traffic. Getting from one part of Bengaluru to another can often feel like a never-ending mission. And once again, the city has made headlines for its traffic troubles. Recently, a man named Lalit Gour shared his real-time struggle on X (formerly Twitter), and his post has been getting a lot of attention. Stuck in traffic near Brookfield, Lalit posted a screenshot of his Google Maps, which estimated 48 minutes to travel just 3.6 kilometres. 'Newton's fourth law of motion: A Bangalore auto at rest will remain at rest," he wrote along with the screenshot. Newton's fourth law of motion : A Bangalore auto at rest will remain at rest. — Lalit Gour (@lalitgrateful) June 27, 2025 The post struck a chord with many people who couldn't help but laugh at the shared struggle. One user said, 'No words when it comes to Bengaluru traffic," while another added, 'Walk is the only solution." Someone shared, 'Damn. 48 mins for 3.6km. I just drove to the office, 19 km in 50 mins." A person asked, 'Why??? Don't auto drivers want to earn money or they happy with freebies given by the government?" Even people outside Bengaluru could relate like an individual from Gurugram who said, 'Even here in Gurgaon, 16-lane roads get jammed." 'Crazy bro. When an interviewer asks, 'Where do you see yourself in 5 years?' I just think… still stuck in Bangalore traffic…," he wrote. Crazy an interviewer asks, "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?"I just think… still stuck in Bangalore traffic. 😭🤣 — Lalit Gour (@lalitgrateful) June 27, 2025 To tackle Bengaluru's ever-growing traffic problem, the government is working on several big infrastructure projects. Back in March, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar shared details about some of these upcoming developments aimed at improving the city's roads and traffic flow. 'We are planning double-decker flyovers wherever new metro lines are being developed. The BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) and BMRCL (Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited) will share the cost equally. It costs Rs 120 crore to construct one kilometre of a double-decker flyover, and we have allocated Rs 9,000 crore for the project," he said, in a release issued by his office. Apart from flyovers, he said the city will also see 300 km of 50-feet-wide buffer roads built along stormwater drains. These are expected to ease congestion in areas that often get choked with traffic. For this, an additional Rs 3,000 crore has been set aside. First Published:


New Indian Express
a day ago
- New Indian Express
BBMP marshals without salary for last three months
BENGALURU: BBMP marshals deployed at lake security and supervision wing, ward monitoring and Indira Canteens are working without salaries since March. The situation has arisen after Bangalore Solid Waste Management Limited was carved out of BBMP for garbage management. Their salaries are usually given through the Ex-Servicemen Welfare Society and each marshal is paid Rs 17,500 monthly. 'Supervisors say the delay is due to a set of procedures. Earlier, the amount was given to the Ex-Servicemen Welfare Society towards payments from BBMP. Now the files have to be cleared from BWSML to ward marshals. Similarly around 250 marshals will have to be paid after file clearance from Forest Wing and lastly, the Health Department of BBMP has to clear files related to marshals deployed at Indira Canteens. All these procedures take time and hence delay, as per the supervisors,' a marshal said. The municipality has cleared the payment of March related to ward marshals, however, their salaries are due since April. Similarly, the salaries of marshals under the jurisdiction of the lake and health departments are yet to be cleared since March, clarified a senior official. 'We have around 200 marshals in BBMP health department looking after the Indira Canteen security. The Medical Health Officer (MHO), who is authorised to clear the payment related file, has been transferred to another place in BBMP and a note has been sent to the Special Commissioner for Health in BBMP seeking the approval to allow the official to clear the payments. Once it is done, the salaries will be released,' said a senior official. The BBMP marshals said they had to borrow money from relatives and friends to fill petrol in bikes and come to work and running a home without a regular salary would push them to the brink.


Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Hindustan Times
Delhi: Nehru Park set to host 150 air purifiers in anti-pollution plan
The Delhi government will install 150 outdoor air purifiers at Nehru Park in a pilot project aimed at creating the city's first 'clean air zone,' environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said, outlining a plan that experts called unviable and impractical. An air purifier already installed at the Jangpura fuel station. (Sanjeev Verma/HT Photo) Sirsa said the devices, upto nine-feet-tall PM 2.5 particulate matter filters, will be spread across the 85-acre park and maintain 'good' air quality even during peak pollution periods. 'This initiative is part of the government's efforts to improve air quality in the city. It will be a first-of-its-kind pilot project in the country to improve air quality at a public park,' Sirsa told HT. The announcement comes as Delhi has grappled for years with hazardous air pollution levels that peak in the transition to winter. It follows the closure of two expensive smog towers that authorities deemed ineffective, after the then Aam Aadmi Party government touted them as first-of-its-kind solutions to the city's bad air crisis. In 2023, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee called the Connaught Place smog tower experiment ineffective in improving outdoor air quality. The new project will be carried out through a corporate social responsibility partnership with private firm Umeandus, which has tested the technology at four locations including Anand Vihar, a Jangpura petrol pump, New Moti Bagh and outside the Taj Ambassador hotel. Each purifier will cover approximately 600 square metres and requires approval from the New Delhi Municipal Council before installation can begin, Sirsa said. The devices are easy to install and occupy minimal space, according to the minister. Officials said each machine costs around ₹ 5 lakh and the project will be funded through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Experts questioned the viability of outdoor air purification technology, pointing to the failure of previous initiatives. 'The best example is our two Delhi smog towers at Anand Vihar and Connaught Place. As of now, we have not seen any evidence to suggest how air purifiers outside can clean up air in an effective radius in the city,' said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director of research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment. 'It is more important to assess the viability of technology that is already installed, before more investments flow in. The same funds could be used to reduce emissions at source,' she added. Air purifiers are typically effective in enclosed places where the same air is recirculated – a device out in the open will need to filter a potentially unending supply of bad air, depending on wind conditions. Nehru Park, known for its lush lawns and trees including gulmohar, neem and ashoka, attracts hundreds of walkers, joggers and yoga enthusiasts daily, particularly during morning and evening hours. The park also hosts regular cultural events. The initiative forms part of the BJP government's broader air quality strategy, including its manifesto promise to halve Delhi's pollution levels by 2030. Earlier this month, the government released a Mitigation Action Plan featuring over 1,000 water sprinklers, 140 anti-smog guns, cloud seeding experiments, audits of pollution under control centres every six months, installation of automatic number plate recognition cameras on Delhi's border points for end-of-life vehicles, and 5,000 additional electric buses. Delhi consistently ranks among the world's most polluted cities, with air quality frequently reaching hazardous levels.