Supreme Court body to write to states for curb on polluting trucks coming to city

Of every 3,500 trucks that enter the city from Singhu border daily, nearly 70 per cent are diesel trucks from other states, 8-10 trucks do not have pollution fitness certificates while 10-15 are not destined for Delhi and use the city only as a thoroughfare, a survey has revealed. Singhu border is one of the busiest tolls in the Capital.

The survey concerned was conducted by the Supreme Court-mandated Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) and the Center for Science and Environment (CSE) at city's 10 border posts. The Phase I drive, to monitor the number and movement of vehicles that enter the city between 11 pm and 6 am and their impact on the environment, will conclude on November 4.

In Phase I, the border posts monitored include Dhansa, Kapashera, Singhu, Tikri, Aya Nagar, Jharoda, Shahdara flyover, Mandoli Main, Prehladpur and Badarpur-FDB main.

The EPCA now plans to write to other states to crack down on Pollution Under Control (PUC) centres for allowing such vehicles to enter the Capital.

The survey further revealed that only 25-30 per cent trucks that enter the border are from the city, of which most are now running on CNG. The rest 70-80 per cent are diesel vehicles from other states, adding to the emissions in the city, officials said.

"We are checking all trucks and their tax receipts. While most are diesel vehicles, we will be able to know the exact amount emissions put out by these vehicles once the data is collated after Phase I. We are using video cameras to record the movement of these trucks,"EPCA chairman Bhure Lal said.

Meanwhile, the move to phase out most diesel trucks over 10 years of age last year improved the situation a bit, still, there is a long way to go, as the volume of diesel-run trucks is large and adds to pollution, in particular PM 2.5, which is the most prominent pollutant in Delhi, CSE researchers said.

Phase II of the survey will be conducted between October 28 and November 10, and will include DND, Mohan Nagar, New Kondli, Ghazipur (old), Noida (major), Kalindi Kunj, Shahdara Main, Ghazipur (main), Badarpur, and Rajokari.

"On a daily basis, we turn away 8-10 trucks not destined for Delhi. Besides, at least 600-700 trucks use the city just as a thoroughfare,"an official associated with the survey said. "Over 60 per cent of the trucks without fitness certificates belong to other states, including Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan,"he added.

"In most of these neighboring states, the rejection rate of vehicles while checking fitness is only 2 per cent. In a survey conducted at PUC units in these states last year revealed that most of the records had been tampered with. We plan to write to the state boards and respective transport departments again to check the quality of pollution readings by the staff, and the equipment used, as it is one of the contributing factors to pollution in Delhi,"he said.

The survey is being done to help implement the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system for trucks, which will help track their movement and online payment as these vehicles pass through toll booths."The RFID will be commissioned by the south Delhi Municipal Corporation, for which tenders have been floated recently,"Bhure Lal said.

Also, the green tax (Environment Compensation Cess) has to be paid by all trucks, except those carrying essentials, such as milk, vegetables etc, he said. At times, however, the tax receipts are misleading while some drivers try to skip paying the cess.

GREEN TAX

• The green tax slab for vehicles ranges between Rs 700 and Rs 2,600, depending on the weight being carried and the type of vehicle. There are 124 border posts in the city.