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Clean-up drive raises hackles
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With pollution levels rising in the city, the answer lies not in banning 15-year-old vehicles but in streamlining other areas such as making PUC certificates mandatory and providing alternative fuel. ARUNA MASARGUPPI reports.
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JAM-PACKED: Idling engines are sources of pollution. - Photo: P.V.Sivakumar
THE DECISION by the government of Andhra Pradesh to scrap all vehicles over 15 years of age in an effort to contain pollution has stirred a hornet's nest. While some allege it to be anti-middle class, others are labelling it as a sell out to the automobile lobby.
The government has put forth its case for pushing through this reform, but there are other voices ranging from reasonable to shrill, crying black murder. Talking to a cross section of the people directly and indirectly affected by the decision revealed a consensus among people on reducing pollution, but at the same time insisting on a reasonable approach. What galvanised the government into action was the discovery that, 70 per cent of air pollution in HUDA limits was due to vehicular traffic. The pollution, spiking in the last five years correlated with a marked increase in the number of ailments such as heart attacks, asthma, tumors, cancer and other neurological diseases. A broad study also pointed to a correlation of increased sickness and pollution in the high traffic zones of Charminar, Abids, Punjagutta, Paradise and Zoo Park.
According to a report by Tishya Chatterjee, ex-chief, Pollution Control Board, ``immediate control on expansion of old- exhausted engines was necessary." And the definition of old was arrived at after a study which showed that engines after the age of 15, lost their capacity for complete combustion of fuel and thus emitted harmful residual gases like carbon monoxide (CO), Unburnt hydrocarbons (HC) and Nitrous oxide (NO) etc. Also under this definition came engines above eight years and travelling more than 300 kms per day, usually the commercial category. Also wild swings in pollution ranges during various transport strikes reinforced the government's resolve to press for strict pollution control norms. It was found that in October 2001 when RTC buses went off the roads, the pollution levels shot up above the danger mark (RSPM over 300) due to two and three-wheelers replacing buses. Interestingly when three wheelers went off the road due to strike, the pollution (RSPM) levels fell below 150 mark! A study showed that the three-wheelers and two wheelers were responsible for as much as 49.06 per cent of the pollution. Armed with this data, the government launched a massive clean up drive. But this overnight insistence on EURO 1 and EURO 11 levels of emission has not gone down well with most of the 12 lakh vehicle owners. Ramchandra, a bank executive, who owns a 1940 Willys Jeep maintained in pristine condition says, "The EURO 1 and 11 are fads introduced by the makers of Santro, Matiz and others for their marketing purpose," he says. How can the government ask for EURO emission standards, when we don't have EURO standard roads, fuel or traffic management. "What is EURO about India? Do we have standard food, milk, drugs, environment? It is absurd asking for EURO standards when every thing else is of abysmal quality," he says.
Shivade, Assistant Manager, IBP petrol station agrees with Ramchandra when he says, a whole lot of things go into creating pollution, which include bad roads, bad fuel, indifferent maintenance, in fact he says, if you drive a vehicle beyond the speed of 60kms/ per hour, it gives off carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon fumes. Also, it is common knowledge that there are good and bad petrol stations, i.e. the ones, which supply relatively clean fuel and those which supply adulterated fuels. In a recent newspaper article written by a well-known columnist, it was explained how truck loads of naptha came in the darkness of night to dump their load at various petrol stations. Says Shridhar, a commuter, "the bureaucrats are in the know of these things but do not prosecute the offenders because they are big fish. Instead the poor taxpayer, who is mostly a salaried person and probably would have invested in a second hand car after taking a loan or from his small savings is penalised because he is easy meat."
HIT MEN: Mechanics will be badly hit if old vehicles get phased out.
If adulteration is such common knowledge why are the offenders not booked even once? Shivade says, the reason is official! Whenever a petrol dealer is caught red handed, the adulterated sample is sent to the forensic lab for testing. But the sad part is the lab only says that the sample does not confirm to the required standards without identifying the polluting agent. Therefore the dealer is let off due to lack of hard evidence. According to Shivade the anti-pollution laws will certainly stem the rot, but what is needed is tough enforcement of criminal justice, and hauling up of babus with whose complicity the laws are often broken. The law to phase out 15-year-old vehicles has the potential to affect many more people than the vehicle owners and their families. Javed, an authority on World War 11 jeeps, and who also runs a garage on the Gandhi Bhavan premises says, "if the government brings in this law what will those hundreds of people and their families do who depend on vehicle repair, painting, dent removing, tyre retreading , battery recharging, spare part dealer ships for their livelihood? There is a whole industry that survives on old vehicles," he says.
Srinivas, owner of City Car Care Centre, Kachiguda, is in total agreement. He says the most affected by this law will be the mechanics and spare part dealers whose services will not be in demand. He says already many second hand car dealers have closed shop because nobody wants to buy a car that is older than ten years, and they do not have much of a market in rural areas. However, he says, things will not be so bad for people who cannibalise vehicles and sell old spares as they can still shift business to the rural areas. According to him there is no need to phase out old vehicles as pollution depends less on age and more on proper tuning of the engine and maintenance. These rumblings seem to have already reached the ears of the government. For, when contacted, the sources at the AP Pollution control Board, (APPCB) indicated that various measures were being considered. For instance, the "Green Levy" is supposed to be replaced by an option to convert to LPG fuel. And this law will come into force only when adequate arrangements are made for supply of this alternate fuel. Also the talks are supposed to be on with the Pollution Control Centres to upgrade their machines. However, the owners were reluctant to comply, because according to them there was no demand for pollution check. (Only two percent of the vehicles go for the check). To create a demand and awareness, the APPCB is to launch a drive for mandatory PUC certificate from August 1. Also this certificate is to be produced if one wants to tank up the vehicle. However, the authorities refused to comment on the time schedule for the phase out or who would be the first to get the axe. However, the vehicle owners seem to have got a breather with the government sensitised to the problems faced by a large section of the people by overnight implementation of this law.
Points to ponder
Many PUC centres issue certificates without testing the vehicles. Especially when there is a crowd or when there is no power supply.
Even new autos (less than 15-years-old) mix kerosene with petrol as it works out far cheaper. PUC certificates will be made mandatory to get fuel for your car. What law is there for those coming for petrol in cans?
Photo: K. Ramesh Babu
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