NEW DELHI: In a fresh push to curb vehicular pollution, govt will soon allow old polluting trucks and buses to be fitted with retrofit emission-control devices (RECDs) that can reduce particulate matter emissions by up to 90% and nitrogen oxide emissions by 60%. Road transport minister Nitin Gadkari announced the measure Thursday, a move that will complement govt’s scrappage and replacement programme for ageing heavy vehicles.Speaking at an event organised by Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam), Gadkari said the device, developed from an innovation at IIT-Delhi, has been successfully tested. Once retrofitted in BS-IV, BS-III and older diesel vehicles, it can bring their emissions on a par with BS-VI standards. Similar devices have already been installed in diesel generator sets to reduce pollution. Gadkari said each device is expected to cost around Rs 4,000-5,000.TOI has learnt that to enable the rollout, road transport ministry will soon notify Automotive Industry Standard 228, which will prescribe technical requirements and performance standards for these devices.Gadkari also highlighted India’s acute shortage of buses, saying the country has only two buses per 1,000 people, compared with the global benchmark of eight. He stressed the need for innovative public transport solutions in Tier-II, Tier-III and smaller cities, arguing that metro rail projects are often too capital-intensive to be viable in such places.Taking a swipe at bureaucratic resistance, Gadkari referred to the proposed flash-charging articulated bus system in Nagpur and said, “IAS officers think they are the only intelligent people in the country. Politicians may know only how to win elections, but they believe only they have knowledge.
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They keep creating hurdles, but it is my responsibility to resolve them.”Gadkari also reiterated his ministry’s plan to introduce a negative points system for traffic violations to crack down on habitual offenders. The proposal, which he announced Wednesday while launching the ‘Suraksha’ pilot programme for on-the-spot medical diagnosis and counselling of 10 lakh drivers, construction workers and other high-risk workers involved in highway and mining projects, will assign penalty points for every traffic violation. Drivers accumulating points beyond a specified threshold could face suspension or cancellation of their driving licences, he said.
