As summer ends, Delhiites eagerly await the cool of winter to escape the oppressive heat, yet winter brings a shroud of pollution over Delhi-NCR. Each year, the Delhi government devises a Winter Action Plan to curb pollution, but the results remain stagnant. Burning agricultural residue is a primary pollution source, but vehicular emissions poison the air too. In such a climate, our investigation into vehicle emission testing centers reveals shocking malpractice, contributing to Delhi's toxic air. Read this special report ahead...
Starting with Noida's Sector-20 police station... To be clear, the police station itself has no involvement in this sting operation, though it begins here. Our reporter inspects and photographs vehicles stored due to traffic violations or accidents, aiming to expose integrity at pollution testing centers. Shockingly, a significant breach of trust was uncovered.
Photographs of vehicles in hand, we visit a pollution center in Noida's Sector-95, claiming our vehicle stranded in Delhi can't be retrieved due to expired pollution clearance. The center staff, named Narendra, compliantly asks for the vehicle number and, after seeing the photographs, issues a pollution certificate without hesitation for a vehicle locked in a police station.
During certification, Narendra does query if the vehicle is impounded. His message was clear: as long as the vehicle isn’t impounded, all else is negotiable. Astonishingly, he issues a pass on the pollution check, along with a certificate from a center in Haryana. Narendra’s strategy seems tied to maximizing earnings without physical checks, despite the legal ramifications. Unbeknownst to him, our covert camera captured the deception.
After Noida, our team reached Kapashera, Delhi, to probe a pollution center situated at a petrol pump. Here, presenting another impounded vehicle photo, we inquire about certification despite its expired status. The center’s staff, identified as Sandeep, at first rebuffs our request but succumbs to monetary enticement, asking for the vehicle's number. He admits to no longer doing such without digitally recording the vehicle on-site due to stricter enforcement policies.
Sandeep enquires about the vehicle's location. Our reporter says it’s home; initially declined, Sandeep’s greed surfaces as he continues with the certification, albeit cautious about legal consequences. Seemingly adept at circumventing recording protocols, he requests the fee and proceeds to issue a certificate, echoing the misdeeds seen across various centers.
- Faults in obtaining a Delhi Pollution Under Control (PUC) Certificate can lead to a fine of 10,000 rupees. Initial offenses see a hefty fine, repeated offenses could result in jail time of up to six months.- New traffic plans involve cameras at strategic petrol pumps to cross-check emission checks. Legal action is promised against fraudulence in emission certification.
The state of pollution centers in Noida and Delhi now starkly observed, our team visited Ghaziabad's Lal Kuan pollution center. Prior visits to Noida’s Sector-24 police station enabled photo documentation of vehicles confiscated over varying infractions. Here, the primary question pondered was vehicle locality. Responses of the vehicle being impaired and parked in Delhi did not deter emission certificate issuance. Discussions of the impossibility of long-duration certification reflect technological regressive practices steeped in absurdity. The center conducts business at premium in absence of the vehicle, highlighting entrenched corruption compromising air quality.
Delhi government's attempts at pollution control, such as hiking fines, are being thwarted by unscrupulous practices at checking centers. Such illicit actions perpetuate the cycle of vehicular pollution, leaving the public to survive in hazardous air.
