Mobile pollution testing centres charging extra

Published on 3 days ago | See Latest Updates @ Andhra Pradesh

HYDERABAD: The next time you see a mobile pollution testing van in your neighbourhood, chances are that it is running without the government's permission. Because with the rising number of vehicles in the city, there is also rise in the number of mobile pollution testing centres.

There are more than 40 lakh vehicles plying on the roads, with hundreds being added every month. With it, the number of pollution testing centres operating without licenses have almost tripled, right under the nose of the State Road Transport Authority which has given permission to only 150 mobile pollution testing centres under GHMC limits, a recent RTI reply revealed. What's more, these centres are also charging exorbitant fees for pollution check.

According to rules, a two-wheeler owner should be charged not more than Rs 15, petrol-run three and four wheelers Rs 25 and diesel vehicles not more than Rs 30. But a visit to any of these mobile pollution testing centres prove that the rates being charged are almost three times the prescribed fee, with Rs 40 being charged for two-wheelers, Rs 70 for petrol vehicles and Rs 85 for diesel vehicles.

An attempt to check the devices installed inside vans revealed that some were not even working properly and, upon probing, the operators were even hesitant to show their original licence.

"My brother's pollution testing vehicle is in Banjara Hills while I run mine here. I use his licence number while issuing certificates," said one such operator from Abids who pleaded for anonymity.

"We had many a times complained to the RTA officials about the illegal testing centres. These unauthorised centres are eating into our business, but still the officials do nothing," another one at Begumpet rued.

However, these testing centre operators justified their rates saying that they can stay afloat only by charging a higher fee.

Mahender Sunnapareddy, social activist from the city who has been working on this issue, said the centres take advantage of the citizens' lack of awareness about the charges for pollution testing.

"I know of instances where even though vehicles are emitting high levels of pollution, they have been given pollution certificates. The officials should start cracking the whip on such centres," he said.

Officials are clueless about some of the illegal practices of these centres. Reacting to the illegal fee collected by these mobile pollution certification centres, G Panduranga Rao, joint transport commissioner, Hyderabad district said that though he has not received complaints on this issue, they would soon take up the matter and act upon it.

"We have been conducting raids on such centres running without licenses from the past two months and 11 of them have been booked. We will look out for more such centres," he said.