It is not how stringent rules are, it’s how stringently they are executed at grass root level makes them effective in it’s true sense. Keeping pollution under check is a growing global concern and so is New Delhi’s concern too. As a mature and responsible government the steps have been initiated and necessary laws have been enforced in this field . One such rule is to obtain PUC “Pollution Under Control” certificate by the owner for the vehicle on road. The authority to issue PUC certificate is being out sourced to various private agencies. Which set up a multi point contact system of mobile vans issuing PUC certificates. These agencies instead of taking it as sense of responsibility in the global cause , take it as an opportunity to make money at the cost of our future generations. Most of the PUC vans do not have serviceable pollution checking equipment, the equipment on board the vehicle is just the name sake and by any means does not match the standards for such a task. If at all a few vehicles have equipment in order , but then the routine practice is to fill in the details and handover the certificate at slight extra cost called “suvidha shulk”. Such fake PUC certificates are like legal permit to drive polluting vehicles with out the fear of authorities in effect compounding the pollution levels. The law enforcing agencies must ensure not only the PUC is mandatory, but also the way it is being made available to the public requires a strict watch else the very basic aim is defeated. The callous approach of agencies flouting law must attract deter able punishments in terms of canceling of license, penal deductions and imprisonment if required..
No law is effective unless the very basic fiber to enforce it is effective. In the present case, it is the issuing of genuine PUC certificates that dictates the success of this law or it would be just another rule in the book , which holds no meaning in its true sense. It’s better to have no law than to have an absolute ineffective one. It is high time that concern authorities must give it a serious thought to tame this menace.
Are we missing the wood for the trees here?
ReplyDeletePollution is an issue that needs to be tackled on a broad front rather than in the form of unenforceable legislation. India has had the experience in the past of licensing regimes forming a platform for corruption and the PUC vertification regime was doomed to failure for its very inception - any fool could have foreseen that.
Why try only to CONTROL vehicular emissions. What are we doing to encourage alternative fuels or clean energy initiatives? Very little.
Policies need to be aimed at vigorously incentivising :
a. The farming of abundant solar energy to produce electricity and then use this electricity to fuel the energy needs.
b. R & D in the development of bio-fuels.
One theory is that governments around the world(particularly of the oil producing and oil exporting nations (which incidentally are also the most wealthy and influential ones) are deliberately dis-couraging the development of these alternatives. After all who would buy their oil reserves if clean fuel is cheaply available. Conspiracy theory? ... maybe ... but a pretty plausible one !!!
- Jai