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The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) will conduct random checks at 50 pollution checking centres attached to petrol stations in the city for four days starting March 17. The drive follows the estimation that only about two per cent of vehicles in the city have valid ‘pollution under control’ (PUC) certificates. Centres attached to petrol bunks are authorized to issue PUC certificates on behalf of the transport department after conducting due tests on emission levels of hydro carbons and carbon monoxide. “CPCB will conduct random checks of exhaust pollution of the vehicle and also calibration of the equipment. We will pay special attention to two-wheelers. This is the first time the CPCB is launching such a comprehensive drive,” an official said.
Chennai has the largest number of two wheelers on its roads in TN. The city boasts 80 lakh two wheeler population and every one out of three persons own a two wheeler, at 23,32,662 (as on February 1, 2010). The state as a whole has 97,74,916 two wheelers on its roads. Only a few of them renew their PUC certificates, say officials of pollution control board and transport department. Although PUC has been mandatory since 1997 in the city, and the certificates issued are only valid for six months, only 1,23,442 tests were conducted during the year 2009 by the 50 centres in the city. This represents only two and a half per cent of vehicles. This would imply that vehicle checking requirements are not being meticulously followed. The total number of vehicle checked during a year in Chennai has actually gone down over the last three years from 1,39,490 in 2007 to 1,38,503 in 2008 to the current 1,23,442 in 2009.
The testing also refrain from issuing certificates if the emissions exceed prescribed norms. The total number of tests where there was a rejection has also followed a similar trend coming down from 3920 cases in 2007 to 3186 cases in 2009. However, there is no close check on whether the vehicles get back to road. Officials at the transport department say they seize the RC books. “But often many carry a duplicate, and vehicles are back on roads,” say petrol bunk employees. S Machenndranathan, transport commissioner said the department was only a facilitator, with no enforcement powers. “The basic responsibility should lie with the pollution control board or the police,” he added. “With its huge data bank, the department can help identify those who have a PUC and those who do not. Effective monitoring is now possible,” he added.- Agencies.
M. Stephen.
Reporter.
Anytime chennai news team.
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