Beijing (PTI): India, which is hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2010, can draw lessons from China, which has successfully battled pollution and built state-of-the-art infrastructure for the Beijing Olympics, a top executive of the UN environmental agency said on wednesday.

"India should emulate the various measures taken by China before the Beijing Olympics including massive investment in public transport, adoption of new technologies and creating public awareness to grapple with pollution," United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Achim Steiner told PTI.

"Investment in public transport to address the mobility issue is equally relevant for Commonwealth Games," he said, noting that massive investments were made in constructing the subways, the rapid bus transit (RBT) system and thousands of CNG buses which would all "sparkle as lasting legacy".

The legacy of the Olympic Games had left in place a hyper-modern infrastructure for public transport and cleaner vehicles that would benefit not only the Olympic Games this month but also the chinese population at large in times to come, he said.

He said the Commonwealth Games should be used as an opportunity for such "transformational investment" as the host country is noted for the way it "breathes and moves".

Commending Indias efforts in renewing energy, especially from the R and D perspective, he said more could be done at national and local levels and added that public awareness concerning the development of the city is another step which India should replicate from the success story of China.

Asked about nagging concerns on air quality in Beijing ahead of the Olympics, he replied that the media had hounded on one single issue and excluded the important measures taken to deal with pollution.