At a meeting with the Delhi government earlier this month, the EPCA chaired by Bhure Lal pulled up the government for not being vigilant enough with regard to the sale of substandard CNG kits and registration by regional transport authorities (RTOs).

The SIAM (Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers) representative at the meeting cited an IIT Kanpur study on air pollution sources in Delhi that revealed that NOx contribution from vehicles is second at 36 per cent after industrial sources (52 per cent). Of this 36 per cent, 60.62 per cent of NOx pollutants are contributed by CNG vehicles, 25.09 per cent by diesel vehicles and 14.29 per cent by petrol-fuelled vehicles. “Retrofitment of CNG kits is responsible for higher NOx emissions from CNG vehicles since procedures are violated while retrofitting kits into cars,” said the SIAM representative.

The minutes of the meeting reveal that in response to Professor A K Baggi suggesting NOx levels were rising because of improper catalytic converters aggravating the vehicular pollution problem, Bhure Lal said, “This is a problem of enforcement and the transport department has to sort this out… the transport department had also informed the EPCA about the proposed setting up of two new vehicle inspection centres… but no progress has been informed to this authority.”

The meeting took place days after the Delhi government put on hold registration of CNG vehicles across the capital following reports of spurious kits being fit on vehicles and those being passed by motor licensing officers without adequate checks. CNG was promoted by the Delhi government as a clean fuel, following various court orders against use of diesel, especially during the two odd-even phases of road rationing.

The Central Pollution Control Board representative at the meeting said the five-year moving average of NOx levels monitored at ambient air quality monitoring stations of Delhi showed an increase in levels.