SHILLONG: If you are in Delhi you would know how much pollution is in the air since there are neon signs everywhere to inform the public of the suspended particulate matter (SPM) and other pollutants in the air.
In Meghalaya’s capital city Shillong where there are today more vehicles than people on the road there is no agency to check vehicular pollution. Officials of the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board maintain that vehicular pollution caused due to exhaust emissions comes under the purview of Rule 115 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 which specifies emission limits for all petrol and diesel driven vehicles.
“The vehicular check is conducted by the Transport Department. MSPCB only tests the vehicles at the request of the Transport Department,” said Dr. B. Nongbri, Senior Scientist, MSPCB.
Presently, MSPCB is operating a permanent vehicular emission testing station at its office premises at Lumpyngngad. The Office established in 1994 is for testing petrol powered vehicles. But only commercially run petrol driven vehicles are tested at this station.
“MSPCB has only an indirect approach towards the checking of vehicles whereas the Transport Department can also take penal actions against those vehicles that violate the prescribed emission standards,” said J.H. Nengnong, Member Secretary, MSPCB.
The MSPCB informed that from January 2015 to July 23, 2015 the total number of petrol driven vehicles tested was 2964 which included only two and four wheelers out of which 98.7% of the vehicles were issued with Green Certificates which meant they were complying with the standards and the rest 1.2% were issued with Red Certificates which meant they were violating the norms.
The total number of diesel driven vehicles tested was 1130 out of which 95.4% were given Green Certificates whereas 4.5% were issued Red Certificates.
The MSPCB is constituted under the Water Convention and Control Operation Act 1974 and all the functions of the Board are specified under section 17 of the ‘Water Act’.
Regarding vehicular pollution, MSPCB has a very limited role since checking is undertaken by the Transport Department. The Board can only advice the Government to allow plying of vehicles with prescribed standards.
Presently, there are two Pollution Monitoring Stations in Shillong. Two more stations are coming up which could provide information about the pollution level on a day to day basis.
Meanwhile it is learnt that in Meghalaya, the Transport Department does not have the machinery and equipments to test the vehicles so they have authorized the MSPCB to keep a tab on vehicular pollution in Shillong.
In this tug of war between the Transport Department and the MSPCB it is the public that is at risk. Who will bear the cost of escalating vehicular pollution in Shillong?
