Transport minister Subhas Chakraborty on Thursday blamed the police for allowing trucks to enter the city during the hours they were debarred from entry.

?I know many trucks enter the city defying the restriction. I have seen it myself but it is the duty of the police to track down the errant truck drivers and impound the vehicles,? Chakraborty said.

?The transport department formulates various rules and regulations and traffic police on duty will have to be more effective in enforcing those rules,?? he added.

Trucks are not allowed to enter the city between 8 am and 9 pm.

Chakraborty announced that three truck terminals will be constructed at different approach points ? Madhyamgram, Dankuni and Rajarhat ? of the city to prevent the entry of trucks. He was inaugurating the Budge Budge truck terminal.

The Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation (TIDC) constructed the Budge Budge truck terminal at a cost of Rs 5 crore. A private party, SG Citylink, is responsible for running and maintaining it.

It is the third terminal after Kona (beside the Kona Expressway) and Dhulagarh (Howrah). TIDC built the Dhulagarh truck terminal along with a private party, Dhulagarh Truck Terminal Ltd, and the Kona terminal was built by the Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority.

The government has decided to hand over the Kona terminal to a private party to extend and run it.

Transport secretary Sumantra Chowdhury, who was present at the inaugural function, said pollution in the city will be reduced if entry of trucks is prevented. About 50,000 to 55,000 trucks enter the city daily.

Chakraborty said the government?s move was aimed at preventing trucks from entering the city. The transport department has taken up projects to build truck terminals at different places to enable truck operators to park their vehicles and unload goods.

Small and medium goods vehicles are supposed to carry the goods from the terminals to their destinations in the city.

?We will impose a ban on entry of trucks in the city once construction of all the terminals is over. All the trucks coming from different districts and neighbouring states will have to unload only at the terminals,?? the minister said.

TIDC managing director Dhiman Mukherjee said the Budge Budge terminal will be of great help to oil tankers, their drivers and help because all kinds of facilities will be available there.