New Delhi: The next time you see a vehicle belching out toxic smoke in the city, you may be able to get it challaned. One of the highlights of the Delhi government's 13-point agenda to deal with air pollution was crowdsourcing of complaints against visibly polluting vehicles. The Swachh Delhi App has already started receiving such complaints that are being forwarded to the transport department, said government officials. But transport department sources claim that guidelines on how to deal with such complaints have not been framed yet.
According to the sources, a missing link in the entire process is the lack of clarity about norms for vehicles coming from other states. For the ones plying in Delhi, the preliminary plan is to send a notice and then challan the polluting vehicles. Complaints against visibly polluting industries can also be made on the app. These will then be forwarded to Delhi Pollution Control Committee.
Spotting visibly polluting vehicles to ensure emission compliance is a tried-and-tested strategy in many countries simply because it instils fear in those who have flouted pollution norms or have been driving without a valid PUC certificate. According to International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), in Beijing "spot checks and public spotter programmes are used to test on-road vehicles with high emission potential or those that visibly emit black smoke". Local authorities there create checkpoints by the roadside or in parking lots and conduct emission tests.
They also encourage citizens to voluntarily report the licence plate numbers of smoky vehicles. Even financial incentives are given to spotters in some places. In Hong Kong, the government claims that there is a 50% reduction in smoky vehicles since the strategy was implemented in 1988. Volunteers have to join a training course offered by the Hong Kong administration in spotting polluting vehicles. The training includes identifying vehicle classes, visual assessment of smoke levels, etc.
Delhi doesn't have such advanced testing mechanism but officials in the transport department said there are legal provisions to fine polluting vehicles under the Motor Vehicle Act. AnumitaRoychowdhury, head of CSE's clean air campaign, said a Hong Kong-type spotting programme can be very effective. "In any case, smoky vehicles should be flagged and tested. We have more than 500 PUC centres, then why can't it be done? If there is regular checking, the fear of getting caught will be instilled."
Amit Bhatt, strategy head, integrated urban transport at Embarq, said most smoky vehicles are either old diesel vehicles or commercial vehicles. "When a challan is sent to the owner of a vehicle emitting smoke, his/her address may have changed. The challans will keep accumulating until the owner tries to sell the vehicle. That's when these challans will be settled. Often people don't even sell these vehicles. So, the Delhi government needs to devise some other way of challaning visibly polluting vehicles," said Bhatt.
