British envoy criticises govt over pollution

Speaking at the Environment Partnership Summit organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce, Wilson was particularly concerned over the alarming levels of particulate matter in the air.

Citing the World Health Organisation’s permissible level of particulate matter at 60 microgram per cubic metre, he said Kolkata has an average of 100 while during winter the level of pollutants remains at 500 micrograms per cubic metre.

While others spoke at length about how industries and corporates should establish a greener roadmap for global business, Wilson said, “If we don’t get the emissions right in the city, how do we tackle the larger issues?”

He criticised the authorities for dragging their feet on switching over to clean fuels. Taking a dig at the “five very fancy air-monitoring stations” in Kolkata, he suggested that the conversion of green fuels should begin with the state government buses followed by the rest.

Drawing a parallel between taxis plying in Mumbai and Kolkata, the British diplomat said although the taxis (in Mumbai) are not as spacious and comfortable as they are in Kolkata but they are less polluting. “Buses are belching out smoke, taxis are polluting, most auto-rickshaws are not licensed. If Delhi, Mumbai and other cities can manage it (curbing air pollution), then why not Kolkata?”

When asked about the state of affairs in Kolkata, member secretary of the Central Pollution Control Board, B Sengupta, said, “There has been no concrete proposal from the state government on ways to tackle the problem.”

State Environment Secretary M L Meena, however, said that the environment department plans to introduce LPG conversion in 10,000 auto-rickshaws and is keen on subsidising 50 per cent of the installation cost. In fact, the environment department plans to disburse Rs 4 crore for providing subsidy to vehicles to be converted to LPG in the forthcoming year.