Emission test being conducted on a vehicle. A Telegraph picture

A 13-year-old diesel vehicle gets a pollution under control (PUC) certificate — WB-01-1171809 — which states that its emission is zero. Absurd, point out experts.

A certificate — WB-01-017789 — states that the minimum revolution per minute (RPM) of the vehicle is 733 and the maximum 596.

Bogus PUCs, such as the ones cited above, are freely available across the city, mocking the state government’s claim that the noose has been tightened on auto emission testing centres.

An anonymous complaint, filed by a “PUC worker”, has detailed the malpractices that are rampant in the testing centres in the city and on the outskirts. The complaint — which refers to the first two instances of PUC graft, among others — has “supportive documents” attached with it.

“The complaint has reached my office,” said a transport department official. “But technical evaluation of testing centres is the state pollution control board’s responsibility.”

The member-secretary of the board, Debal Roy, said: “I have received the complaint a few days back and have set up a committee to probe the charges. The board is merely a recommending authority, but I can assure you that harsh action will be taken against those found guilty.”

But the record of taking “harsh action” isn’t exactly encouraging. Metro had twice highlighted the corruption in the PUC business, but hardly any errant testing centre has been taken to task.

The complaint talks about a “range of manipulations” in the software used for measuring emission during pollution tests. “In several cases, vehicles are not tested at all. The centres only take the photograph of the number plates and prepare the report with figures supplied by the manipulated software,” the complaint added.

“Not only manipulated certificates but even fake ones are available,” admitted Asim Banerjee, the secretary of the Auto Emission Testing Centres Association. He pleaded “helplessness” in stopping the practice.