Here's What You Need To Know About India's Least Polluted Cities

The focus that the most polluted cities in India have received makes us reconsider the lifestyle, the choice of city and the health impact of living in such cities. Today, many people are actually up for leaving these polluted cities and shift their base to cleaner cities where the air is pure. However, jobs and opportunities also matter as much. Let's look at some of the cleanest cities in India and understand their highs and lows.

Mangalore

Mangalore with the lowest pollution index of 25, is the cleanest city in India.

What works

*Among the non-metros, it is one of the most multicultural city.

*It is also touted as the healthcare, educational, industrial and commercial hub.

*Some of the renowned IT and outsourcing companies are here.

*Tourism also makes Mangalore remain on India's coveted destinations list.

*Mangalore also has Karnataka's only port.

What's worrying? 

*Early this year, studies showed that the industrial city of Mangalore was the worst polluted in Karnataka.

*As per a study, converting to CNG vehicles is pending and needed.

*PVS Junction, Bunts Hostel, Bunder, MCC, Pump Well and Baikampady are among areas where the ambient air quality is not good but is not bad either when compared to other cities of India.

Gautham Pai, one of the respondents on Quora, says that Mangalore has not been developed as much as its potential demands. On Quora, he lists a few drawbacks such as lack of a central bus stand, lack of smooth connectivity from main junctions such as Nanthoor and Happankatta, no development in Kadri, lack of effective tourism development, absence of proper footpaths and underground electricity line. “We all love our city but ask a college student his plans, he would say he wants to go to Bengaluru or Mumbai or Dubai for a job. Nobody wants to stay here because of lack of job opportunities. When infrastructure improves, investments pour in creating jobs. That is what Mangalore is lacking. But I can see a bright future for Mangalore in coming years,” he adds.

Mysore

With a pollution index of 52.81, Mysore often surfaces in the cleanest cities list.

What works?

*Thanks to the climate, more and more people from Bengaluru prefer a second home in the city.

*In 2010, 3.15 million tourists visited Mysore. The city still attracts many tourists from across the world.

*Mysore has limited but some of the most prestigious and renowned institutions and corporate offices you could work for.

*State Highway 17, which connects Mysore to Bengaluru, was upgraded to a four-lane highway in 2006, reducing travel time between the two cities. This works for people employed in Bengaluru.

What's worrying?

*A city with a commendable tourism potential has restricted air transport as only chartered flights are operational rendering it difficult for common people to fly to other cities. Their closest option is the Bengaluru airport.

• Stakeholders fear the Mysuru is going the Bengaluru way. In the 70's for example, Mysuru had only 7,000 vehicles and by 2016, it is over 8 lakh. Sayyaji Rao Road, Shivarampet, Irwin Road, Ashoka Road, Bengaluru Nilgiri Road between Five Lights Circle and Hardinge Circle are congested streets.

Thiruvananthapuram

Kerala's capital is one of the least affected cities in the country and has also grabbed a rank in the Swacch Bharat surveys.

What works?

*Round three of the Smart Cities Mission saw Thiruvananthapuram topping the charts followed by Naya Raipur and Rajkot.

*After demonetisation, the first signs of recovery in this market is visible.

*To ease air commute, pilgrims to Sabarimala and those travellers who have their settlements in Pathanamthitta and around can expect a new airport in Cheruvelli Estate.

What's worrying?

*You would be surprised to know that most Keralites have their own waste disposal mechanisms and composting techniques given that municipal corporations do not go in for waste management measures in all the localities.

*Absence of a robust job market has made youngsters, mostly engineering graduates to look for jobs outside the state.