Three weeks after the environment ministry communicated India’s voluntary commitment to reduce carbon emission by 20-25% of gross domestic product by year 2020 to UNFCCC, the road transport and highways ministry has adopted an active stance on this front. It has initiated the groundwork to put in place a stringent set of norms to control vehicular pollution.
The task of crafting the new guidelines for certification of existing vehicles for carbon emission has been given to a committee under the chairmanship of Saroj Kumar Dash, joint secretary for transport in the road transport and highways ministry.
As per early indications from the ministry, the fresh norms could make it difficult for old or polluting vehicle to get mandatory pollution-checked certificate, also called pollution under control certificate or PUC certificate. The time period for which the certificate is valid could also be changed.
?At present, a pollution certificate remains valid for three to six months depending on the state. We are contemplating a change in the same. We are also looking at strengthening the system of checking the fitness of vehicles to control carbon emission,? a senior government official in the know of developments told FE.
The official said that under the existing system, only transport vehicles are subject to a periodic assessment of their complete fitness. Personal vehicles are not yet covered by any such mandatory requirement.
As per the data from Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam), India has a vehicle population of 40 million and 76% of this is of two wheelers. The number of vehicles plying on roads is growing at a fast pace of 5% a year.
The committee has to file its report by the end of this month. But before it crystallises the draft, the panel wants to look at the international best practices. It has asked Siam to study the norms being used globally and present a paper before it. The next meeting of the committee is scheduled to take place on February 23.
?Countries that have been successful in controlling vehicular pollution to a substantial extent have used inspection and maintenance of all categories of vehicles as one of the main tools. And, developing countries in the South East Asian region have also introduced this system to keep a check on pollution,? a senior official of Siam said, sharing the international experience.