TO conduct air modelling of the Pune city, the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) is signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with leading oil companies in the country. This one-year-long exercise, which is to begin shortly, would study the amount of air pollution, the causative agent and steps to bring down the level of pollution.

Mr Balraj Bhanot, President of ARAI, told media persons that the MoU would be signed on January 21 and the study is expected to begin soon. The study will not only look into the emission of moving vehicles, but also emissions from other off road and static sources such as cooking, power generators and railways to find out the exact causative agent.

The study is spearheaded by ARAI with a contribution of Rs 1.5 crore and is supported by the oil companies including Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum, Hindustan Petroleum and Reliance at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore.

Mr Bhanot noted that similar studies are already under way in Delhi and Bangalore. The National Environment Engineering Research Institute at Nagpur was conducting the study at Nagpur for New Delhi, while the Delhi-based Tata Energy Research Institute is doing it in Bangalore.

Mr Bhanot said the vehicle inspection and maintenance programme has been taken up to improve the in-use vehicle emission and safety performance. Under this programme, the Government of NCT of Delhi has contracted the ARAI to execute a project to establish two integrated vehicle safety and emission inspection lanes at Burari, Delhi, for testing of transport vehicles covering buses, taxis and auto rickshaws.