SHILLONG, May 7: The number of vehicles continues to rise by the day in Shillong but it still has just a couple of pollution testing centres.
At one of the centres located at the office of Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board in Motinagar, the pollution status of vehicles can be checked from Monday to Friday.
The other, located at Mawiong, operates from Monday to Saturday but on Saturdays, it remains open only till 12 noon. The person manning the centre said it remains open also on Sundays as long as it has the customers.
The problem arises when people are suddenly required to go for pollution testing on non-working days and hours. There is another small pollution centre at a petrol pump in Mawiong but it mostly remains closed.
Under the amended Motor Vehicles (MV) Act, the violation of pollution under control (PUC) norm invites a penalty of Rs 10,000. Earlier, it was Rs 1,000 on first violation and Rs 2,000 for the next offence.
However, the traffic police in Shillong hardly ask for pollution certificates. Initially, when the MV Act was amended, the pollution testing centre at Motinagar saw a mad rush of people.
As the Assam police are strict about vehicle papers, people from other states travelling to Assam carry the pollution certificate.
In many states, pollution testing centres are available on national highways. In Meghalaya, however, many districts do not have even a single pollution testing centre.
