participants at a recently concluded international conference on environment and health, severely criticised the state government for its poor performance in improving Bangalore's air quality. Organised by the Bangalore-based Karnataka Environment Research Foundation (kerf) and the Lakeside Education Trust, the conference concluded with suggestions to alleviate the city's respiratory health problems.

" kerf had submitted a comprehensive air quality management proposal for Bangalore to the government in 1994. In spite of our best efforts, the bureaucracy has scuttled the project and, instead, supported a piecemeal and