Transport minister Subhas Chakraborty announced on Thursday that all autorickshaws plying in and around Calcutta would have to convert to a clean fuel by December 31 this year.

“They will have to convert to LPG at any cost. Those who don’t will not be allowed to ply,” said the minister at Writers’ Buildings after an hour-long meeting with representatives of oil companies.

According to senior officials in his department, the deadline is a continuation of the high court order on July 18 in a case relating to air pollution in Calcutta.

The division bench of Chief Justice S.S. Nijjar and Justice P.C. Ghosh had converted an environment department notification into a directive. It had set December 31, 2009, as the last date for all autos in the Calcutta Metropolitan Area to convert to clean fuel. The phase-out deadline for two-stroke autos was December 2008.

“We will not issue a separate notification as the high court has passed an order in this regard,” principal secretary (transport) Sumantra Chowdhury told Metro.

While implementing the court order, the transport department has clubbed two-stroke and four-stroke autos and set a common conversion deadline.

“Over 75 per cent autos plying in and around Calcutta have two-stroke engines, which are more polluting than the four-stroke ones. So the government has decided to set a common conversion deadline,” said a transport department official. A single deadline would also reduce confusion, he added.

Chakraborty was categorical that the huge pool of illegal autorickshaws would have to convert to LPG. “Illegal autorickshaws are mushrooming. They will have to get registered by December 31, otherwise they will be smashed,” the minister said.

About 42,000 registered autorickshaws ply in Calcutta, Howrah and North and South 24-Parganas, according to the transport department. The number of unregistered autos in the area is at least 50,000.

“We have already asked the registered autos to convert to LPG. We are in talks with the oil companies to ensure that the supply of LPG is not a problem,” added Chakraborty.

Oil industry representatives told him that supplying LPG to the entire fleet of autos would not be a problem. Currently, there are 12 LPG refill stations in Calcutta. “The number of pumps will double by December. And the LPG pumps are ready to meet 20 times the current demand,” said an industry representative.

Green activist Subhas Dutta doubted whether the year-end deadline could be met. “There is no preparedness…. How can they even think of converting all the autorickshaws in just two months?” he asked.

A transport department official said: “At least we can try. There should be a start.”