With an objective of checking vehicular pollution and bringing about an improvement in the performance of vehicles, the East Singhbhum transport department and district’s traffic police have joined hands to check on polluting vehicles.
In a joint meeting of East Singhbhum district transport officer (DTO) George Kumar, deputy superintendent of police (traffic) Rakesh Mohan Sinha and Motor Vehicle Inspector (MVI) Awadhesh Kumar, concerns were expressed over the rising air pollution and decided that there should be a special drive against polluting vehicles plying in the city or coming in from other States.
As per the plans the drive will be carried out to check the rising level of pollution in the city in which the major area of focus will be on heavy vehicles like trucks, trailers and buses which add to the level of air pollution to greater extent.
The private pollution testing centers in the city comprising CT Motors Training Institute (Mango), Nag Motor Training Centre (Sakchi), and Indira Pandey (Dimna Road, Mango) have already been asked to execute computer pollution certificate from April 1 onward. The pollution certificates have to be renewed after every six months.
“The surprise crackdown on violating vehicles will be conducted at regular intervals at important points. In case of other State vehicles, a spot fine of `1,000 would be collected from the driver of the vehicle. If the violating vehicle belonged to other districts, the check reports would be sent to the Collectors concerned through the RTOs for fixing the fine,” the officials said.
First time offenders in both pollution certificates and pressure horn will have to pay `1000 as fine which would be doubled in case of second time offenders. In case of violation for third time the fitness permit of the vehicle would be cancelled. The transport department will have a database of the offenders.
Meanwhile, district traffic police continued with drive against two-wheeler riders including pillion riders without helmets at several important junctions in the city today. Offenders have to pay `200 as fine and in case if the pillion rider and driver both are without helmets they would have pay `400.