PUNE
(MUMBAI): An independent committee constituted by the
Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has recommended a complete ban on
the entry and operation of Bharat Stage (BS)-III vehicles in the Mumbai
Metropolitan Region (MMR). The committee was formed last November to address
concerns around vehicular pollution in Mumbai.
Officials said the move, if implemented, would bring
about an immediate reduction in emissions while spurring the uptake of latest
BS-VI emissions norms. Experts, however, cautioned that commercial vehicles
such as inter-city taxis and goods carriers may be adversely affected by this
proposal.
The recommendation was part of an exhaustive list of
mitigation measures proposed by the 13-member committee, headed by former
additional chief secretary (transport)
Satish Saharabuddhe. The committee
consists of officials from MPCB, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development
Authority (MMRDA), Automotive Research Association of India (Pune), Society of
Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Delhi), representatives from Indian Institute
of Technology-Bombay, and independent experts.
“The committee was constituted to make
recommendations specifically on reducing vehicular pollution in the MMR region.
We have suggested a range of proposals including revamping the existing
pollution under control (PUC) system and setting up vehicle inspection centres
along the lines of those proposed in Nashik, improving scrappage policy for
legacy vehicles, remote sensing of vehicular pollutants at key junctions, and
introducing a reward-based carpooling system which reduces the number of
private vehicles on city streets while allowing owners to cover their cost of
travel,” said committee chairman Satish Sahasrabuddhe.
“We also deliberated on e-mobility. Some of the
recommendations adopted in the Electric Vehicles Policy 2021 were first
suggested by us, including electrifying all state government vehicles.
Converting last-mile delivery vehicles for food and logistics companies to
electric two-wheelers was also something which we had initially suggested,” he
said.
The committee has recommended that such companies
pro-actively buyback two-wheelers from their delivery partners using corporate
social responsibility (CSR) funds, and replace them with electric two-wheelers,
availing incentives under Central and state schemes, which stand to
significantly reduce the total cost of operation for such vehicles. The
companies can further reduce the cost by availing scrappage policies,”
Sahasrabuddhe said.
However, one of the most ambitious proposals in the
short-term remains the ban on BS-III vehicles which, officials said, is in line
with the already existing Bombay High Court instruction barring vehicles older
than 16 years from plying in the city. These are mainly BS-II vehicles. “We are
making this rule stricter. BS-III vehicles plying in Mumbai will now be around
10 years old. The same rule should apply to them, given that we have stricter
BS-VI norms now. We have proposed that the vehicles be converted to CNG fuel in
order to keep plying,” said Sahasrabuddhe.
Madhav Pai, urban policy researcher and executive
director of the World Resources Institute India Ross Center, said the move to
ban the operation of BS-III vehicles in MMR is a positive step. “But there will
be livelihoods at stake. People who operate older goods carriers and other
commercial vehicles will require some support so that they can affordably make
the switch to newer BS-VI vehicles,” he said.
0 comments:
Post a Comment