In wake of severe shortage of manpower, the Government agencies are finding it extremely difficult to prevent non-Delhi-bound commercial vehicles — responsible for increasing city’s pollution woes — from the neighbouring States to enter the national Capital.
This startling fact has come to light in a status report prepared by the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority for NCR, which has drawn up an emergency plan to ensure trucks registered before 2006 are not allowed to enter the city during the winter season.
Between January 21 and April 25, 2016, Haryana had set up 13 check posts which had resulted in diversion of 6,00,880 vehicles from the national Capital. But the number of vehicles diverted during this period from Uttar Pradesh was only 3,278. The EPCA will request the apex court to direct NHAI to levy penalty of 10 times of applicable rates on vehicles carrying excess load. It will request the SC to direct UP, Rajasthan and Haryana Govern-ments to provide police protection to the enforcing agencies for strict compliance of the matter.
Ahead of Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change meeting scheduled to be held on Friday, Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain has written to Anil Madhav Dav, Environment Minister of State (Independent Charge) for strictly enforcing the guidelines for plying of overloaded transit trucks and vehicles passing through Delhi bypass from NH-1, NH-2, NH-8, NH10 and NH 24. He also demanded restriction of plying of diesel operated auto/taxi in NCR region which is causing pollution to Delhi as the Capital has banned plying diesel operated public transport system.
According to EPCA report, there has been a lack of clarity on the number of commercial vehicles, including trucks that enter or leave Delhi each day.
There are 127 entry points, of which 9 are major ones. light good vehicles which constitute 65 per cent of the total commercial vehicles entering Delhi contribute 39 per cent of the particulate matter load and 42 per cent of the nitrogen oxide load. Heavy duty trucks though are a quarter of the commercial vehicles entering Delhi end up emitting about 61 per cent of particulate and 58 per cent of the nitrogen oxide load.
Among the heavy duty trucks, the 3 axle trucks, which are about 16 per cent of the total number of commercial vehicles, are the highest emitters entering Delhi.
There is also no reliable data on commercial traffic that is not destined for Delhi. The MCD data shows that the trucks turned back, in compliance with the order of the Supreme Court are a mere 0.3 per cent of the total traffic. In other words, even taking the MCD estimate of the number of light and heavy vehicles, just 90 such vehicles were not destined for Delhi and the rest 29,000 needed to do business in the city.
A rapid diagnostic survey was done in 2014 only on the roads approaching NH 1 and NH 10 entry to Delhi. Truck drivers were randomly surveyed and asked about their origin and destination, about trip and commodities they carried. This rapid and limited survey found that some 23 per cent of all commercial vehicles travelling on NH 1 were not destined for Delhi. In the same survey it was found over 40-60 per cent of heavy trucks (3-axle and above) were not destined for Delhi.
The EPCA is now going to request the Supreme Court to take a view that any further exemptions granted to trucks entering Delhi will destroy compliance and effectiveness of its directions. It said that the diversion of vehicles from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh was strictly done over winter months in 2015-16. A status report prepared by the EPCA said that the State Government was having severe staff limitations to keep up the active diversion of vehicles.
“However, the billboards have been installed at key points and it is clear that if ECC at Delhi entry points is strictly enforced then the number of non-destined vehicles will go down.”
The EPCA has again told the Haryana and UP Governments to step up the diversion process and emphasise on the diversion of non-destined trucks to Delhi during the winter season.
The EPCA will request the apex court to direct the two State Governments to increase enforcement at their respective borders during the winters.
The NHAI also informed the EPCA that they had installed all the scheduled 60 weight-in-motion (WIM) bridges at the six toll plazas on entry roads to Delhi. It is understood that 35 of the 60 WIM bridges are already under operation and the remaining ones are too being operationalised.