Fake pollution certificates add to air quality woes

Delhi: At a time when poor air quality has become a matter of concern in major cities of the country and efforts are being made the overcome the situation, residents of Patna are forced to inhale probably the worse ambient air with no solution in sight. One major source of this alarming problem is private city buses.

"If by chance you happen to move behind the city bus, you will not be able to breathe and for a few seconds the air around you will turn black," said Rajbanshi Nagar resident Aditi Mishra. "Everyone is aware of this problem, but remedial measures are not being taken," she added.

Drivers of these buses always carry pollution under control (PUC) certificate and escape from paying fine. According to Motor Vehicles Act, any vehicle plying on the road without PUC is fined Rs 1,000. However, getting a PUC is not a tough task in Patna. More than 50 private pollution control centres in the city, registered with district transport office, are authorised to provide the certificate after properly checking the vehicles. However, these centres hardly follow the rules while issuing PUC.

"Many vehicle owners get this certificate even if their vehicles emit pollutants. Same is the case with private buses. For two-wheelers, Rs 50 is charged and for four-wheelers Rs 75. Many a time when we check the buses, the drivers show us all the documents," said a traffic cop. Patna traffic SP P K Das too admitted loopholes in the system.

Sharing her experience with TOI, a Pataliputra Colony resident said once she was fined for violating parking rules and not possessing PUC. "I got the PUC made with retrospective effect by paying an additional Rs 40."

Taking strong note of the problem, Patna DM Sanjay Agarwal said buses would be cross-checked randomly. "If the buses don't match the set standard, the license of the agency issuing fake PUC would be cancelled," he said.

Patna Motors Garage Owners' Association (PMGOA) president Vimal Kumar said it was high time to educate people about air pollution. "If air pollution has increased in Patna, we are responsible for it. If we don't take this matter seriously, one day we won't be able to breathe. We are organising 'nukkad natak' once a week to create awareness. Many people remove turbo or silencer from their vehicles without knowing its harmful impact. We are educating garage mechanics, who in turn can convey the right information to common people. This way we can curb pollution," Vimal said.

With air pollution at its worst in Patna, urban development and housing department (UDHD) minister Maheshwar Hazari said more saplings would be planted in the state capital, especially near drains, for a clean environment.

"Our aim is to make Patna pollution free and provide enough oxygen to the residents here. In first stage, we will focus on nine major drains, which have sufficient space around them. Again, apart from major roads, huge chunk of land is vacant, which can be utilised for planting saplings," Hazari said.

He added that the recently bought public buses would start plying after January 15. Hazari said the aim was to provide sufficient number of public transport to people and reduce the use of private vehicles. "We are also planning to introduce battery operated buses," he added.

for more details visit  www.vayupure.com