It was in November, I think, that MID-DAY’s front page carried the headline ’’WHERE HAVE THE CABS GONE?’’.
It was because Mumbai High Court, after granting TWO six-month extensions, had finally passed an order which resulted in 12000 odd taxis being taken off-road. Reason being that all theses taxis were being run on sub-standard three-cylindered diesel engines which were tested to be emitting, 10 or some, even more than 10 times the permissible limit of carbon monoxide. Subsequent to the High Court Order, the sight of tons-of-smoke-coughing taxis did become a rarity. It was really appreciable of MID-DAY to voice concern regarding whereabouts of these polluting taxis. Obviously, if they were not in Mumbai, they were elsewhere in the state, polluting other cities, towns or villages of Maharashtra.
However, It would have been even more appreciable if MID-DAY had kept up its vigil because it appears as if all these taxis seem to have returned to Mumbai. Again we can see almost one out every four taxis, emitting TONS of polluting gas from its tailpipe.
Was the ANTI-POLLUTION DRIVE undertaken jointly by Ministry of Environment and RTO Mumbai, merely an eye-wash?