The state government had failed yet again to meet the deadline for complying with auto-emission norms by October 1, and was on Wednesday allowed till November 24 to do so.

Calcutta High Court also rapped the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government for not submitting the status report in the matter and fixed November 24 for compliance.

The auto-emission case came up for hearing in the division bench of Justice Barin Ghosh and Justice Aloke Kumar Basu on Wednesday ? listed a day in advance of the original schedule ? when advocate-general Balai Ray claimed that the government had already carried out the court order passed on March 30.

However, the judges were not prepared to accept the verbal submission. According to advocate Samarjit Ghosh, standing for petitioner S.M. Ghosh, the judges expressed their ?disturbance? as the state was ?praying for indulgence? to submit the status report on steps already taken to comply with the March 30 order of the high court after the Pujas, instead of Wednesday itself.

Six months ago, the high court had directed that all vehicles plying in the state would have to conform with the new tailpipe emission norms with rest of the country from October 1. Admittedly, the directive was given on the basis of the state?s own submission, that it will comply with the new norms from October 1, which it failed to do.

The new norms require auto-emission testing centres to be equipped with a multigas analyser, fully-computerised system with web camera, RPM (revolution per minute) and temperature sensor.

Though the state claimed that it had complied with the court?s order, the fact remains that the transport department has not succeeded in installing even a single multigas analyser so far. The deadline for installing the new equipment expired on October 1.

?We are not at fault. We have received the approval of Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) on the design of the new machine only recently. We have procured two new machines, which will be operative within the next few days. Orders have already been placed for more machines,?? said transport secretary Sumantra Chowdhury.

However, an environment department official was unconvinced, because the ARAI approval list came more than a month ago and other states have already started complying with new central norms.