BANGALORE, OCT 1: Are you wondering how to make some quick money? Open an emission testing centre.Let's not grude it, but for the owners of the 60 emission testing centres in the city, the Government's decision to make emission checks for vehicles mandatory, has come as a wind fall. Sheer common sense tells us that an emission centre is a `fixed deposit' (of sorts) that pays dividends every six months. (The emission certificate you received for your two-wheeler, after shelling down Rs 20, is valid only for six months. Another check is mandatory at the end of six months).The testing centres charge Rs 20 for two-wheelers, Rs 30 for autorickshaws, Rs 40 for cars and Rs 50 for all categories of diesel vehicles. Bangalore has a vehicle population of over 10 lakh.According to statistics issued by the Transport Department, there are 8 lakh two-wheelers, 49,000 autorickshaws, 52,000 diesel vehicles (including KSRTC, BMTS, govt vehicles, private buses, jeeps, maxi cabs, contract carriages, goods vehicles) and 1.42 lakh cars on the city roads.Take away one lakh vehicles which do not require the undergo emission tests because they have been registered within the past one year. (Senior Transport department officials point out that 85,000 vehicles were registered during the last nine months alone!). Also discount the vehicles owned by environmentally conscious vehicle-users who have been getting their vehicles checked regularly.If all the two-wheelers in the city take the mandatory test, their owners would be paying the emission centres a total of Rs 1.6 crore. All the autorickshaw owners would be shelling down Rs 1.47 crore. Cars would fetch the centres a mind-boggling Rs 5.68 crore, while diesel vehicles, including heavy transport vehicles, would be paying Rs 2.6 crore. Arithmetic tells us that the vehicle-owning population of Bangalore would be parting with Rs 11.35 crore, which will be shared by 60 emission centres. Officials admit that they are aware of the money involved. ``But, since these centres are doing a public service, earning money in the process should not be grudged,'' said Transport Commissioner Subash Bharani.But how would they stop the mushrooming of emission test centres considering the fact that they earn big money? Any person who has a premises to set up a centre, who has approved equipment, technically qualified persons, financial stability and parking place can open an emission test centre. Besides, a deposit of Rs 10,000 and a fee of Rs 2,500 is sufficient to apply for an emission centre.
