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Journalism of Courage
The story of getting rid of polluting auto rickshaws from Kolkata streets date backs to 2004 when the state government was struggling to meet the April 2, 2004 deadline for implementation of Bharat-II norms. The state8217;s desperate attempt to find a solution to the two-stroke vehicle and at the same time complying with Bharat-II emission norms came a cropper after a study conducted by Pollution Control Board revealed that there was no way two-stroke autorickshaws, pick-up vans and two-wheelers could be converted to LPG mode.
8220;The transport department had little option but to ask vehicle-owners to replace their two-stroke engines with four-stroke ones and then convert it to LPG,8221; a transport official said.
In 2007, environmentalist Subhas Dutta filed a PIL in the Calcutta High Court claiming that autorickshaws in the city were the highest contributors to air pollution. In the PIL, he stated that the pollution was caused due to use of adulterated oil.
Through a series of court hearings in 2007 and 2008, the state environment department issued a notification in July 2008 chalking out a detailed phase-out plan for the city autorickshaws. The three-wheeler was to be phased out in three stages 8212; all two-stroke autos by December 31, 2008; all four-stroke autos not converted to clean fuel plying within the Kolkata Municipal Corporation area by March 31, 2009; all four-stroke autos not converted to clean fuel plying within the greater Calcutta area by December 31, 2009. The Autorickshaw Operators8217; Association filed a plea in the court seeking extension of the deadline that was refused by the High court on December 23,2008.
Of the 20,000 autos plying in the city, around 76 per cent are two stroke ones. Earlier this year, the state government had worked out a package for auto rickshaws, which would be banned from plying after December 31, 2008.
8220;Many nationalised banks have agreed to disburse soft loans of up to 95 per cent to auto operators. Even auto manufacturers will offer a subsidy of Rs 6,000 each. Coupled with the Rs 10,000 subsidy offered by the state government, this should leave autorickshaw operators with no excuse to avoid switching to LPG,8221; said a senior transport official.
