New Delhi Oct 1, 2004: The recently revised in-use norms to be implemented under the Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate programme across the country remains a non starter as the state governments fail to develop a time bound implementation plan. Even the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) went into slumber after notifying the new in-use emissions norms in February 2004. They failed to take the necessary steps to coordinate with the state governments to ensure enforcement throughout the country.

Centre for Science and Environment is appalled to note that even today there is no clear plan of action to contain this cascading delay and implement the upgraded norms.

Under the revised norms both carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons will be measured in petrol vehicles and smoke in diesel vehicles with correction factors to ensure the authenticity of tests. For the first time the PUC norms have been set according to the technology levels of the petrol vehicles – separate for pre and post Euro I compliant vehicles. The testing instruments -- called two gas analysers, currently used in PUC centres do not have the required sensitivity to measure the lower limits fixed for post Euro I vehicles. Therefore, these will have to be replaced with more advanced four-gas analysers. Similarly, smoke meters will have to be upgraded for diesel vehicles.

It is appalling to note that despite the lure of a multi-crore business that the new norms have created, trade fails to respond. Assuming a lower bound estimate of 10,000 PUC centres across the country, the investment in new instruments promises a business of Rs 250 crore. Delhi alone has 400 centres adding up a business of Rs 10 crore. But instrument manufacturers have not even built adequate inventory of instruments to sell. They give lack of firm orders from the PUC operators as an excuse.

PUC operators on their part are delaying investments citing exorbitant cost of new instruments as an excuse and are using this as a lever to bargain for a hike in fees for PUC tests. It is ignored that the biannual PUC testing of all vehicles in other states and quarterly tests in Delhi offer a huge business for the PUC operators. If the governments are disciplined about enforcing the programme and ensure that even 60 percent of the registered petrol cars and two-wheelers turn up for tests, then in Delhi alone PUC tests can generate a business of Rs 20 crore per year, sufficient to cover the one time investment of Rs 10 crore in four gas analysers needed to test petrol vehicles in all the 400 centres in the city.

The state governments will have to step in to stop this blame game and hold all concerned accountable for implementation of the new PUC norms. Without the whip and a clear city based implementation plan, the instrument manufacturers and PUC operators will continue to hold the entire country to ransom and let emissions from in-use fleet worsen in our cities.