The Hindu : Nearly 50 p.c. BMTC buses EURO II compliant

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jun 13, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka-Bangalore

Nearly 50 p.c. BMTC buses EURO II compliant

Bangalore June 12. Nearly 50 per cent buses of the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) are EURO II compliant. According to a notification of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Bangalore is one of the six cities after the four metros to come under the ambit of EURO II norms, (renamed Bharat II) from April 1 this year.

Bharat II encompasses specific mass automobile emission standards specifying limits for carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and other pollutants.

These are said to cause allergic respiratory disorders such as asthma, allergic rhinitis, among others.

Of the 3,252 buses run by the BMTC, 2,046 are owned by it, of which 846 are EURO II compliant. Of the 643 private buses hired by BMTC, 358 comply with the norms.

According to R.V.Bashekar, General Manager (Procurement), BMTC, efforts to convert the fleet to EURO II began in October last year. "Since January, we have added 91 buses to our EURO II fleet. And we have been phasing out the old buses,'' he said. The drive is expected to cost Rs.35 crores. "We have been checking the emission levels of all our buses on a monthly basis. Moreover, we ply just about 3,000 buses whereas the number of vehicles in Bangalore is more than 18 lakhs,'' he said. B.Ramiah, member-Secretary, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), said the BMTC was serious about the conversion drive. He said compared to other government and non-government organisations, the BMTC had done a good job.

Mr. Ramiah also said that the BMTC had received special equipment for monitoring pollution for both petrol and diesel vehicles from the KSPCB.

One of the officials of the Board cited an instance reflecting the promptness of the BMTC: Exhaust from a BMTC bus was found to exceed the prescribed limit. The Transport Corporation immediately reported that it had crosschecked the exhaust from that bus for normal levels. However, it was found that the testing equipment supplied to the BMTC was faulty.

Special pollution checking squads have been formed under the vehicular pollution management initiative of the Transport Department. A press release from the department revealed that of the 4,079 petrol and 1,795 diesel vehicles subjected to checks, 441 cases against petrol and 377 cases against diesel vehicles were booked.

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