I love Bengaluru because of AQI, its amazing: Netherlands PM Dick Schoof

BENGALURU: "The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of Bengaluru is the air quality index (AQI) — and it is so beautiful here," said Dick Schoof, prime minister of the Netherlands, during his visit to the city Friday.

Addressing the media on the sidelines of an AI summit in India, Schoof expressed admiration for Bengaluru's clean air relative to Delhi and its vibrant atmosphere. "I love Bengaluru because of the AQI. It is amazing here," he said, adding that his early morning run in the city left him particularly impressed. "It is a really vibrant city and the atmosphere is really good. The smell of Bengaluru reminds me of my home in the Netherlands," he remarked.


During his visit, Schoof toured the Philips Innovation Campus in Yelahanka, where he witnessed advancements in healthcare technology powered by AI. Highlighting one innovation that stood out, Schoof referred to an AI-enabled stethoscope that can display heart rhythms simply by placing it on a patient's palm. "This is amazing, and we would like to implement such technologies in the Netherlands," he noted, emphasising how AI integration in healthcare is something his country hopes to learn from Bengaluru.

The Dutch PM also visited Bengaluru's Traffic Management Centre (TMC) to review the Actionable Intelligence for Sustainable Transformation Management (ASTraM) system. Developed in collaboration with Dutch company Arcadis, ASTraM is a tech-driven approach to analyse and manage the city's traffic congestion using real-time data.

Impressed by the integration of Google Maps, TomTom data and CCTV feeds, Schoof praised the quick-response mechanism. "They can quickly send traffic police to the right spot and organise signals remotely," he said.

The ASTraM system classifies congestion into recurring and non-recurring categories, issuing alerts every 15 minutes to field officers. It also enables predictive analysis, including forecasting traffic patterns, factoring in weather conditions. Officials claim the system significantly reduced congestion levels over the past two years. Schoof described the proactive use of data and rapid accident response as particularly noteworthy, calling Bengaluru's tech-driven govt governance model "impressive and forward-looking."

Joint commissioner of police (traffic) Karthik Reddy told TOI that the PM also appreciated the adaptive traffic control systems (ATCS) and the way the city handled congestion and predicted traffic congestion in the future.