Subhash Dutta

(In the green corner)

Profession: Chartered accountant by training, green activist at heart.

Mission: To fight for cleaner air, lesser noise and more.

Started out: As an amicus curie (friend of the court) appointed by Calcutta High Court in a PIL against automobile pollution in 1999. Became a crusader after the original petitioner’s lawyer informed the court in 2004 that they were satisfied with the anti-pollution steps taken by the administration.

Moved his first clean-air petition in February 2005, seeking judicial intervention to control pollution by goods vehicles at night. Based on the court’s advice, he filed another petition in April 2007 about daytime pollution caused by automobiles.

Role in the battle to ban polluting autos: Pivotal. Went to court with a petition in April 2008, focusing on pollution by autorickshaws.

Biggest day of 2008: July 18, when the high court converted an environment department notification into a judicial directive that made it mandatory for the government to fight air pollution and set December 31 as the deadline for all two-stroke autos to go off the road.

Why he is doing his best to get rid of polluting autos: Because he wouldn’t be Subhash Dutta otherwise.

Travels by: Car mostly, but never by a two-stroke auto.

Most likely to be seen in: White shirt and black trousers (outside the high court, clutching a sheaf of papers on pollution).

Least likely to be seen in: A white hat.

Most likely to say: Save the earth or die.

Least likely to say: Subhas Chakraborty is an honourable man.

His ideal Calcutta: City of joy without smoke-belching autos and buses.

Green to him means: Life.

If he wasn’t a green activist, he would be: Anything but a politician.

Subhas Chakraborty

(In the red corner)

Profession: Politician.

Mission: To keep his transport army in good humour even if that means turning Calcutta into a gas chamber.

Role in the battle to ban polluting autos: Diabolical. Has even damned the court to defend his precious polluting vehicles. “It appears the judiciary is running a parallel government. Let’s see how far they can go,” he had said reacting to the ban on old and polluting vehicles.

Then came a verbal somersault. “They (autos) will have to convert to LPG at any cost. Those who don’t will not be allowed to ply… Illegal autorickshaws are mushrooming. They will have to get registered by December 31, otherwise they will be smashed… ,” he roared pre-Diwali. The only thing he smashed was the court deadline.

With hours to go for the two-stroke auto deadlines, he promised immunity — without any legal sanction — to all two-stroke autos willing to convert to four-stroke engines. That amounts to contempt of court, said legal experts, but Subhas couldn’t care less.

Why he is DOING HIS BEST TO SAVE POLLUTING AUTOS: Because he wouldn’t be Subhas Chakraborty otherwise.

Biggest day of 2008: December 6, when he hosted Diego Maradona in his backyard (also known as Salt Lake stadium).

Travels by: Air-conditioned car.

Most likely to be seen in: A white hat at a function in Salt Lake stadium organised by his boys.

Least likely to be seen in: A green shirt (with his namesake, discussing the respirable particulate matter being emitted by polluting vehicles into the atmosphere).

Most likely to say: You name a rule and I will flout it.

Least likely to say: Sorry.

His ideal Calcutta: A city without green activists.

Green to him means: A colour in the Trinamul flag.

If he wasn’t a politician, he would be: Anything but a green crusader.