Days may be soon over when one is forced to inhale smoky emission and rick heath while travelling on roads. To put brakes on the increasing pollution level in the city, the Government is in the process of setting up more number of functional emission certification centres in the State capital. These centres will ensure that the vehicle is well maintained and its emission is within the permissible limit.
Additional Chief Secretary Sajal Chakraborty said that practice quite operational in metros would be in place in Ranchi as well. “It is the time when we have taken a sincere approach towards ensuring regular check up of the emission level.” He further added that soon the Transport Department would press into action a dedicated patrolling team for examining valid Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate of every vehicle. The permit would be placed as green sticker on the vehicles’ windshield.
However, responding to the queries regarding details of the plan he said, “It is difficult to provide the exact figures. The plan is on paper and soon will be seen on ground as the department is leaving no stone unturned in accomplishing it.”
Worryingly, the State capital has only three pollution checking centres and only few vehicles come forward for procuring the emission certificates which certify the emission of various gases against the permissible limit.
Alarming number of vehicles and absence of effective mechanism to make them obey the mandatory emission norms are contributing to the air pollution level in the city. According to officials of Jharkhand Pollution Control Board, the level of Total suspended Particulate Matter (TSPM) has gone up from 170 micro grams per cubic metre to 274 micro grams per cubic meter in the past couple of years. The permissible limit for TSPM in the ambient air is 200 micro grams per cubic metre.
Jharkhand Pollution Control Board Member Secretary Sanjay Kumar Sinha sharing the information about the same said, “The majority of vehicles plying on the city roads are not well maintained and their emission is above the permissible limit. lack of stern efforts from the administration end is observed as the major reason behind rising pollution level in the city.”
Nevertheless, auto rickshaw owners are pressing for more licenses to run their vehicles in the city. They have planned to stage demonstration on the suggestion of allowing only 3,000 auto rickshaws in Ranchi.
The Jharkhand Pradesh Diesel Auto Chalak Mahasangh president Dinesh Soni said, “At present as many as 10,000 autos ply on city roads out of which only 2,300 autos have proper permit to ply. If they provide permits to only 3,000 autos then where will others goIJ” Abiding to the decision on, the auto association says, they don’t have any problem with it. “Our prime focus is to retain the number of autos,” added Soni.