Pune, April 12: THE April 30 deadline set by the apex court-appointed Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) for clean air initiatives in Pune is all poised to go for a toss.
The Pune divisional administration is, in fact, busy preparing grounds for an extension of the deadline, citing practical issues that will take ‘‘some time’’ before the initiatives are implemented at ground level. Divisional Commissioner Prabhakar Karandikar on Tuesday identified issues like approval of LPG kits compatible to vehicles of pre-1991 make, increase in number of LPG dispensation centres as also the number of authorised LPG retro-fitters, that need to be sorted out.
Talking to reporters, he exuded confidence that EPCA would take ‘‘positive approach’’ to the plea for deadline extension if convinced about the administration’s ‘‘genuine efforts and intention’’ for meeting the present deadline.
Pune, after having figured among the eight most polluted cities in India, was marked by the Supreme Court for clean air initiatives and the multi-member EPCA, headed by former bureaucrat Bhure Lal, was assigned as a monitoring body. The EPCA members visited Pune on January 8 to take stock of the city’s air pollution situation at a meeting with the municipal chiefs of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, traffic, regional transport, cantonment board authorities and others concerned.
The April 30 deadline was set for four of the six initiatives identified on the occasion. These were: drafting of comprehensive policies for public transportation and vehicle parking in the Pune metropolitan area, upgradation of pollution under control (PUC) test centres and pre-mixed 2-T oil for two-stroke vehicles. The deadline for LPG conversion of autorickshaws of pre-1991 make was set for June 30 and the same for CNG supply to the city was set for December 30. Looking at the progress of these initiatives, none of the deadlines is likely to be met.
THE DAMPENERS
* LPG-kit manufacturers yet to get their pre-1991 LPG kits approved either by ARAI or VRDE
* Only 5,170 of the 60,000 vehicles of pre-1991 make in Pune have so far converted to LPG
* Only 514 of 9,085 autorickshaws have converted to LPG
* Banks unwilling to extend loans to vehicles opting for LPG conversion
* Pune city has only five LPG stations, it needs at least 20 more together with Pimpri-Chinchwad
* There’s still no clarity whether Pune will get CNG supply by December
* Comprehensive policies on public transportation and parking yet to be framed
