Who should be held responsible for spoiling the health of people in Jammu by allowing commercial and other vehicles to emit pollutants that are highly injurious to respiratory system of human beings? There are several Government agencies that are related to this area directly or indirectly. Too many cooks spoil the broth, goes the saying. There are no fewer than three agencies and the superstructures in the shape of Committees to “supervise” the pollution of air but it seems that these are vying with one another to play the truant. Transport Department, Traffic Police, Pollution Control, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Department, and Pollution Checking Centres are the agencies mentioned directly or indirectly in connection with environmental pollution. Yet despite this large array of functionaries, the net result is that Jammu air is extensively polluted.
Why is the Transport Department unable to check the emission of pollutants? The startling thing is that despite repeated reports that there is adulteration of vehicle fuel which causes emission of pollutants and contaminates the air, the Transport Department has chosen to be silent and inactive. Adulteration is disallowed by law yet there is no action on the part of concerned agencies to check adulteration and punish the defaulters under the law of the land.
Recently, Regional Director of Pollution Control Board in the presence of the Member of Legislative Assembly from R S Pura and member of Committee on Environment of the State Legislature conducted on spot verification of adulterated fuel. The result of on the spot inspection in R S Pura belt was astonishing. It was found that there was 100 per cent adulteration of fuel. Obviously, if this is the situation and the level of adulteration, the emission of pollutants is the natural consequence. How badly it will impair the health of ordinary people is anybody’s guess?
It is reported that the Traffic Department is trying to pass on the buck to other departments like Pollution Control Board. Traffic Department says that it is not the job of the policemen in uniform to check whether there is adulteration or not. Every agency is trying to find some excuse to escape the responsibility. It is shifting the responsibility on Oil Companies which, they say, have failed to make elaborate arrangement of securing motor oil from adulteration.
This is a strange situation. The worst part of the story is that the Pollution Checking Centres issue certificates to the commercial vehicles that emission of pollutants is within the specified limits whereas actually there is 100 per cent adulteration as has been proved by spot examination. Evidently the Pollution Control Board is issuing these certificates without a thorough check of the vehicles.
Another aspect of this sordid story is that of dysfunctional Pollution Control Centres in the State. The Committee on Environment, in its latest report, has observed that out of 89 Pollution Checking Centres outsourced by the Government many were not functioning effectively and have failed to yield the required results owing to shortage of manpower/infrastructure. Some of these have been sealed.
There were total 89 (38 in Jammu and 51 in Kashmir) such centres established in the State. However, their functioning was not found satisfactory owing to lack of machines/gadgets with the result the purpose for which they were established was defeated. Some of these centres were sealed on that account. We agree with the Committee that Transport Department has to play a major role in combating the vehicular pollution. It has the mandate to oversee a number of factors in this connection.
Oil companies supplying oil also have the responsibility of ensuring that their products are not adulterated. It brings a bad name to the company. The Government should impose some conditions on these companies for ensuring adulteration free stuff to be provided to the consumers.
As far as the Transport Department is concerned, we have already said that most of the responsibility has to be shouldered by it. Clauses of Motor Vehicle Act have to be implemented in letter and in spirit. The average age of a vehicle set forth under the Act is 25 years but the House Committee has recommended that it should be reduced to 20 years. That appears a sound suggestion keeping in mind the increased service which the machines are made to render. This and other recommendations made by the Committee should be accepted.
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