WE HAVE DONE IT!!!!
Yes, our Indian cities have done it!! Congrats!! At last they have achieved the distinguished title of being the most POLLUTED cities in the world thanks to us! We have contributed generously in this matter and continue doing so unabated (same as we do for population!). Our bikes or cars need servicing, who cares? Who’s got the time? Already it’s a hectic life and to take out four to five hours just to have your vehicle checked out and service, you must be mad!! Wash your mouth as you just said something really bad, our means of transportation can take that much beating from us, they can bear under the pressure and one fine day, I will really get my vehicle tuned.
For all of you unapprised, 60% of pollution cause in all cities is from vehicle exhaust and that too from vehicles which have just not been overhauled. Especially where I live, that is In Hyderabad, you have to think ten times before setting out anywhere especially in the evening . In Mumbai and Delhi, situation is not the least different from what it is in Hyderabad. In fact, it’s much worse. And the effort by the government, especially by the pollution control board truly deserves a pat on the back!! The way they stop vehicles and collect challans and then let the vehicle go, it helps a lot. Helps a lot my foot!!
How long are the pollution control boards going to play this cat and mouse game and really crack down on polluting vehicles? The fact is, most of the government vehicles are themselves one of the biggest contributors to polluting the air. And I know most of you agree. How many times have you not seen automobile throwing out smoke so thick that you cannot see what is in front of you and once up close to the vehicle, the license plates of “government vehicle” can be clearly seen? When the government itself is not serious about such a severe matter, how can it expect everyone else to obey? If the pollution control board started fining the government vehicles itself for polluting, they would generate lakhs of rupees in a matter of days throughout the country!
And then there are the vehicle pollution test centers “CERTIFIED” by the government itself, for “AUTHORIZED” certification of vehicles that have pollution levels under control. God knows better how many vehicles I have seen myself where the person manning the center “REDUCES” the level of pollution of the vehicle on the certificate! Are the PCB officials blind not to see hundreds of autos and taxis emitting gas like a steam engine? To what extent are WE all going to tolerate this? In Hyderabad, there is a very famous poster on all most all roads where a boy is wearing a mask and the caption is screaming “Breathing is Injurious to health!!”
Such a situation has already arisen, and we are the ones suffering. I don’t need to educate you all now on what are the harmful effects of pollution, but at least on our part, we should try to avoid it all costs, by simply getting our vehicles serviced regularly and another important factor is to have the air in the vehicle’s tyre always maintained at the normal level as low levels of air in the tyre causes friction against the asphalt road leading to wear and tear of the rubber which itself again contributes to pollution.
Please don’t take my article as another boring lecture on pollution but it’s the need of the hour and we need to act fast as we already are way behind. Think about it and hope the PCB guys get smart soon and start acting instead of just letting time just pass by and waiting for a disaster to befall!!