The smell of sweet success … is it premature? Only time will tell.
The Hon’ble Calcutta High Court on July 18th 2008, converted an environment department notification into a judicial directive that makes it mandatory for the government to fight air pollution.
What this means : The Hon’ble High Court has banned commercial vehicles registered before January 1, 19993 from Calcutta (Kolkata) and its outskirts. All autorickshaws (3 wheelers), irrespective of their date of registration, will have to convert to either CNG or LPG.
By when: Deadline for conversion is Mar 31, 2009, and order should be implemented by December 31st 2009. Areas include Calcutta Metropolitan Area (CMA), North & South 24 Parganas, Howrah & Hooghly.
Bengal government has a dismal record in implementing guidelines. The world of Bengal is run under the diktat of CITU (Trade Union Wing of CPI-M), and no progressive drive can take place because of its “self interest”.
To digress from this topic and show the clout of CITU:
1. The clean up drive of evicting hawkers from Park Street (show piece road of Kolkata) constantly faces threat and intimidation of CITU
2. The Public Vehicles Department (PVD) confiscated a few autos recently in Kolkata, and no surprises that none of them had valid registration papers. What was surprising was that CITU descended with 400 people and forcibly “freed” the autos as police looked haplessly.
3. Touts are selling DRIVING LICENSES to those who CANNOT drive, and they will start functioning under the protective umbrella or CITU (reported in Telegraph on 28th July08).
It’s a shame really, reminiscent of a banana republic in Latin America of early 70s.
Coming back to the point of the High Court Order:
Why is it different this time: The Court has given JUDICIAL TEETH, this time. By making the notification an order, the court has bound the government to implement it.
Monitoring: Hon’ble High Court set July 31st as deadline for forming a committee to monitor the implementation of the High Court order on controlling vehicular pollution. The State Govt. has formed a 9 member committee headed by Chief Secretary Amit Kiran Deb. This agency will have to file report every fortnight.
The Court also directed a crackdown on unauthorized autos, adulteration of fuel and auto emission testing centres that issue fake pollution under control certificate (PUC).
My heartiest thanks to the Green Bench, specially Hon’ble Chief Justice SS Nijjar and Justice PC Ghosh for giving this landmark judgement. I thank you, Sirs, for saving our future generation from harmful toxin air.
Now it is to be seen the fight between civil society asserting its right for a better life vs CITU equally keen to protect its “money sources”.
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1 comment:
Babu, nice points. I like.
If you log in to Blogger and go to settings, you'll find templates and stuff to organise the look of your blog. You might consider starting afresh on wordpress, it's what I've been planning for the last year or so. (My template was last edited in late 2005)
Another point. I admire your forthrightness in posting under your real name. I don't do this for a number of reasons including my shorkaari chakri. It does not seem wise, however, to drop your pants and declare your voting pattern.
J.A.P.
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