MUMBAI, JANUARY 11: Transport Commissioner Vinay Mohan Lal, the man who began the war against automobile pollution in the city, is set to receive his transfer orders to the ministry of civil aviation in Delhi, later this month.According to senior transport department officials, the papers are in the final stages of clearance and Lal could receive final orders shortly for his new posting as Financial Adviser to the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The transfer was asked for by Lal himself six months ago, for personal reasons.``Six months back, I had communicated my willingness to go on a deputation to the government of India,'' said Lal, confirming the imminent transfer. The union government then began the process of identifying a suitable berth for the senior IAS officer who has 30 years of service behind him.``I go with no regrets, and I have managed to achieve job satisfaction in whatever little time that I had,'' said Lal who took over as transport commissioner eight months back.Lal is presently an Additional Secretary to the Government of India and a Principal Secretary in the Government of Maharashtra. Significantly, the seldom heard of post he helped catapult into the limelight has been held by an IAS officer of the rank of secretary.However, though several transport unions in the city will exult at the departure of the transport commissioner, the anti-pollution drive begun by Lal is unlikely to suffer a setback. ``It's difficult to reverse the wheels that have already been set into motion by the transport commissioner, particularly in light of the stringent High Court directives,'' said a senior motor vehicles department official.In the nine days since the High Court directives came into effect on January 1, 2000, the motor vehicles department has made out 550 cases of pollution against vehicles and recovered Rs 4.35 lakh in fines and detained 115 vehicles for non payment of fines.In its ongoing drive against polluting trucks and buses at 16 border check posts of Maharashtra the department has checked 2.79 lakh vehicles turning back 1,100 for not posessing valid PUC certificates.
