In order to ensure that a stricter check may be kept on vehicular emissions, Delhi Government has directed all car and motorbike dealers in the national Capital to set up pollution measuring facilities on their premises. This is aimed at keeping a strict check on vehicular emissions, officials said. All automobile dealers, except those who sell battery-operated e-rickshaws, have been asked to come up with pollution checking centres at their workshops so that they may issue pollution under control (PUC) certificates.
Concerned over rising air pollution levels in the Capital, National Green Tribunal (NGT) recently placed a ban on all petrol vehicles more than 15 years old and diesel vehicles more than 10 years old. “At present, Delhi does not have sufficient numbers of PUC centres. The Government has issued a directive asking all car and bike dealers to install pollution checking centres at their workshops,” said a senior Government official. “As smog patrol, the Government wants to ensure that when motorists go to automobile workshops to service their vehicles, they can also get a check done there of the emission levels,” the official said.
Dealers of e-rickshaws are exempt from the directive as the official said that such vehicles cause almost no pollution. “We have exempted e-rickshaw dealers from having pollution checking centres. Such vehicles cause almost no pollution,” official added. NGT on May 1 had extended till May 18 a stay on its order banning diesel vehicles over 10 years old in Delhi-NCR, providing relief to public utility services even as it slammed authorities for not devising ways to reduce air pollution.