*Take action to ensure adherence to norms: PCB to TC
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Dec 10: Notwithstanding the serious concern of State High Court over continuous rise in air pollution particularly due to motor vehicle emissions in the winter capital city, majority of the Pollution Checking Centres in Jammu and Kashmir have been issuing ‘invalid’ certificates to different types of vehicles mainly because of the failure of the Transport Department to ensure strict adherence to the Motor Vehicle Rules.
Keeping this grave aspect in mind, the State Pollution Control Board (PCB) has asked the Transport Commissioner (TC) to either ensure compliance to the norms or shut down these centres forthwith as instead of achieving the objective behind their setting-up these centres have been contributing to the unchecked rise in the level of air pollution.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking check on continuous rise in air pollution, a Division Bench of the State High Court comprising Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice B S Walia early last month issued directions to the Divisional Commissioner, who heads a High Level Committee on the subject, to take effective steps to check further deterioration in quality of air being inhaled by the people in city of Jammu.
Besides the Divisional Commissioner, the Division Bench also directed the Transport Commissioner and Chairman of State Pollution Control Board to ensure proper coordination with each other so as to ensure that there is proper adherence to the Motor Vehicle Rules both in the context of regulation of vehicular traffic and checking air pollution.
In pursuance to the High Court’s directions on checking air pollution, Divisional Commissioner asked the Chairman of Pollution Control Board to carry out inspection of Pollution Checking Centres and submit a detailed report highlighting their status of functioning and adherence to the norms.
It is pertinent to mention here that under the Motor Vehicles Rules permissible emission level of each and every category of vehicle has been prescribed and to achieve this objective Pollution Checking Centres are opened. These centres are empowered to issue the Pollution Under Control certificate only for those type of vehicles which conform to the standards prescribed under the Rules. These centres are not empowered to issue certificates to those vehicles that don’t conform to the prescribed pollution standards.
Accordingly, a team of experts of Pollution Control Board carried out inspection of 24 Pollution Checking Centres set-up within the limits of Jammu Municipal Corporation and it was found that 8 such centres were not having calibrated instruments, which otherwise are mandatory for issuance of Pollution Under Control certificates.
Similarly, two Pollution Checking Centres were found having calibrated instruments but they were not following other mandatory norms. Nine Pollution Checking Centres were found closed as they had somehow managed to get prior information about inspection. “From this action of licensees of these nine Pollution Checking Centres it can easily be presumed that they were not following the norms as such to avoid action they chose to shut down the centres”, sources said.
What to talk of other Pollution Checking Centres, two such centres opened in the premises of two renowned showrooms selling vehicles of reputed companies were found blatantly violating the norms. One such centre situated on Jammu-Kunjwani Bye-Pass was not having diesel emission checking instruments in working condition while as another centre situated at Gangyal was not having calibrated instruments.
“This indicates that Transport Commissioner, which is the licensing authority, has failed to ensure periodic inspection of Pollution Checking Centres and by taking advantage of officer’s slackness the licensees were issuing invalid Pollution Under Control certificates”, sources said, adding “if this is the condition of Pollution Checking Centres within the limits of Jammu city what could be the functioning or performance of such centers in other parts of State can easily be gauged”.
Confirming this to EXCELSIOR, Chairman of J&K Pollution Control Board Ravi Kumar Kesar said, “on the basis of inspection report received from experts, I have written to the Transport Commissioner to either ensure compliance to the norms/guidelines by all the Pollution Checking Centres or close them down as issuing invalid Pollution Under Control certificates tantamount to contributing in already increasing air pollution”.
Responding to a question, he said, “Pollution Control Board is a regulatory authority having advisory role and it is the Transport Department which has to ensure strict adherence to the norms”, adding “I have issued directions for inspection of Pollution Checking Centres in other parts of State too so that their status is also ascertained”.
Despite repeated calls on her cellular phone to ascertain the action being taken by the department especially in the light of report of Pollution Control Board, the Transport Commissioner, Vaneeta Gupta didn’t respond.
It is worthwhile to mention here that in Jammu and Kashmir a total of 75 Pollution Checking Centres have been opened by way of licenses granted by the Transport Commissioner for issuance of Pollution Under Control certificates. Of these, 42 centres have been opened in Jammu (37), Kathua (3) and Udhampur (2). However, in other districts of Jammu province no such centre has been opened.
Of 33 such centres opened in Kashmir province, 19 are in Srinagar, 3 in Baramulla, 2 in Pulwama, 4 in Anantnag, one in Budgam and 4 in Leh/Kargil. However, no such centre has been opened in other districts of Kashmir valley.
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