Autos are the worst polluters of the city’s air, second only to buses, says a study. A Telegraph picture

The state government has finally woken up to the need to rein in the second-highest polluter on the city streets — autorickshaws. It has decided to adopt a carrot-and-stick policy to make auto operators switch to a cleaner fuel.

The environment department recently decided to provide partial subsidy for the switch to Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG). About 35,000 autos ply in the city core and nearly 55,000 in greater Calcutta.

An Asian Development Bank study, backed by the state government, found the three-wheelers the highest polluters on the streets, after buses.

“We have finalised a proposal to convert all autos plying in Calcutta to LPG and bear a part of the cost,” state environment secretary M.L. Meena told Metro. The kit required for an auto to switch from petrol to LPG is about Rs 14,000.

“We will soon forward the proposal to the transport and finance departments,” added Meena. “Once the matter is finalised, the autos that have made the switch will be painted green. The ones that do not convert to clean fuel will be dealt with strictly after a stipulated period.”

Admitting that autos are a major contributor to pollution, the environment secretary stressed that the department can play a proactive role in reining them in.

“Section 20 of the Air Act, 1981, empowers the environment department to direct the vehicle registration authority in the matter of reducing pollution,” confirmed senior law officer of the department Biswajit Mukherjee.

The green brigade is sceptical about the outcome of the initiative. “In May 2005, the transport department had announced through a gazette notification that autos in Calcutta Metropolitan Area will only ply on LPG from September 2005. The deadline was extended to December 2005. In effect, it means no auto is supposed to ply in the city on any fuel other than LPG since last year. However, on the ground level, hardly any auto has made the switch,” stated emission expert S.M. Ghosh of Calcutta Green Network.

A wholesale dealer of the LPG conversion kit said about 2,500 autos in the city are currently running on LPG, though the technology has been available since 2003.

“Most autos in the city run on adulterated fuel — a mix of petrol, naptha, kerosene and solvent. This lowers their operating cost to below the LPG level. Hence, the three-wheelers are not converting to the clean fuel,” explained an environmentalist.

Adulterated fuel is also behind the foul fumes emitted by autos. According to the environmentalist, the regulatory agencies are aware of the adulteration problem, but have done nothing to solve it.