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Much fanfare surrounded the gala plans of the state transport department to convert 4,000 auto-rickshaws to LPG, a cleaner fuel that would have considerably altered the quality of the air in the city for the better. The fact remains that very few have gone in for the conversion. This, despite the fact that the state environment department had bargained with the Central government for a sanction of Rs 2 crore to be passed on to the autos as subsidy for converting to LPG. This fund is going to lapse soon. But the transport department is yet to able to identify the 4,000 autos. Now, at a recent function in the city, state transport minister has said all the new autos that would ply in the city henceforth will use LPG. One can hope that previous mistakes are rectified in the new year.
Yet to be bagged: Plastic ban
Various drives and promotional campaigns marked 2007 to spread the message of avoiding the use of plastic bags. It was accompanied by a ban on plastic bags below the thickness of 40 microns. But the situation on the ground remained far removed. Amid the active promotion of jute bags and other alternatives, the regular market-going Kolkatan nonchalently carried his vegetables and fish in plastic bags. All the plastic flowing around in the city proved a nightmare in the last monsoon as the drainage pipes choked flooding the city. Now, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation is planning to slap steeper fines for the use of plastic.
On halfway mark: A cleaner Maidan
One of the significant achievements of the year was a ruling by the Calcutta High Court in September. It banned parking within a three kilometer radius of Victoria Memorial to preserve the sanctity of the monument and keeping the Maidan pollution free. The HC had also ruled that the movement of heavy vehicles near the monument had to be restricted by the transport department and the Kolkata police, and imposed a ban on the use of plastics, open ovens, and the burning of leaves in the vicinity. The difference can already be felt. The air around the monument has become significantly cleaner and this year, the Esplanade bus terminus will be shifted from its present location to somewhere near the Bypass.
Best results: On the Waterfront
The state environment department say their efforts were best rewarded in around the river Hooghly. “It was encouraging that all 44 municipalities sent their action plans for checking the flow of effluents to the Hooghy River Monitoring Committee, which in turn submitted its report as per the directions of the Calcutta High Court three months ago. Following this, the pollution on the river banks and in the riverbed has been considerably reduced,” said state environment secretary, ML Meena. He added that he was planning the formation of a Hooghly River Management Authority, an unified body to stop the constant bickering between the various departments concerned with various aspects of river management.
Wheeling ahead: 2008
Pollution control expert S M Ghosh observed that there was an urgent need this year to form a committee to look into the road space and traffic management in the city. “In the last 10 years, the number of cars has gone up by 65 per cent while the road space has increased by 1 per cent. The pollution is on the rise every day and this is largely due to the huge number of diesel cars in the state. The number of diesel vehicles is more than equal to the number of petrol cars, which is inadmissible for any planned city. Also, the motor vehicles department should ensure that new cars are registered only when old cars are phased out to prevent congestion on the roads.”
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