After 10 years of a much-hyped Pollution Under Control (PUC) programme, it is now time to ask: is this effective? Has it made any difference to city’s air? The city boasts of 400 PUC centres checking more than three million vehicles. But high emitters still escape with impunity – only about 10 per cent of vehicles fail the  test. The city government makes periodic attempts to push vehicle owners to get PUC certificate. But an unacceptably low proportion of vehicles -- a mere 17 per cent of the total number -- turn up. Weak standards, poor test procedures, poorly maintained equipment, and extremely weak vigilance combine to undermine the credibility of the programme with no real benefit.

Concerned over this, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) decided to take stock of the current PUC system, the only strategy available so far to control emissions from vehicles on the road. Two noted international experts were invited to suggest ways for a rigorous assessment of the situation. They are Michael P Walsh, US-based international expert in vehicle technology and emissions, who has helped many international governments design strategies to control vehicular emissions, and Lennart Erlandsson, vehicle technology expert from Motor Test Centre, Sweden, who has been involved in pioneering work on the CNG programme.

Following extensive field visits and consultations with all concerned agencies, Walsh and Erlandsson have just completed their evaluation of the PUC system and have finalised their recommendations to spruce up the system. When implemented, these can ensure better compliance, stronger public support and reduction in emissions from in-use vehicles effectively.

Walsh and Erlandsson presented their "Plan for Progress" in a press conference organised by the CSE in the Capital on Friday, October 4:

Theyare unanimous that while allowing time for transition to a better system, as long as the current framework of PUC continues, it should be upgraded with better norms and instrumentation and be made certain that these work the right way. These testing centres that are difficult to control and supervise should, meanwhile, be phased as soon as possible.

Replacenumerous smaller centres with fewer centralised but bigger centres capable of testing large number of vehicles at a time, and keep them under strict surveillance.

It is better not to do it all at once. Instead, it is better to focus on the most polluting category - commercial vehicles – first and move them to centralised centres where more advanced testing facilities will be available. These vehicles already need to go through routine annual fitness checks and emissions tests. So a system might be developed where PUC tests can be done at the same place where fitness checks are done on a regular basis – the Burari Inspection Centre in north-west Delhi, for instance.

All private vehicles can gradually be brought within the ambit of centralised inspection. First, they should be fitted with catalytic converters to prevent deterioration in the after-treatment devices. Two wheelers, which comprise the largest number of vehicles in the city, and are also very polluting, should be included for more stringent tests. Inspection of CNG buses will require more rigorous inspection and frequent inspection drills.

Stringentemissions standards and rigorous testing procedures should be tightened and high emitters should be brought for repair.

Walshand Erlandsson, going by their experience, believe that inspection centres in the private sectors perform more efficiently. It is in their interest to do a good job to protect their investments. Therefore, there is an incentive to ensure quality operations.

Centralisedinspection will be more cost-effective than numerous ineffectual centres. The cost of lowering emissions through a good centralised inspection system can be lower than achieving similar reduction with the help of new vehicle standards. Erlandsson adds that fuel economy improvement is an added benefit that vehicle users enjoy, and this further lowers the cost of inspection.

Walsh and Erlandsson concluded that vehicle inspection programme cannot win public support unless it is made more credible and it is demonstrated effectively that the programme can clean up air.