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| A state bus. A Telegraph picture |
Over 70 per cent government buses — out of a fleet of about 30,000 — are running on condemned engines, which not only belch hazardous fumes but are also a drag on the exchequer.
That’s the crux of a recent study by OHMAH & Co. For over two months, the South Korean company conducted a survey on 60 randomly selected state transport department buses.
“The department is incurring an additional annual expenditure of Rs 10 crore on engine oil because of the use of condemned engines in old vehicles, which are not fuel efficient,” said Ramesh Maheswari, country head of OHMAH.
According to him, the South Korean lubricant manufacturer conducted the survey — focusing on environmental impact and financial feasibility — in consultation with senior engineers of Tata Motors.
“We have carried out a detailed study and submitted the report to the transport department,” added Maheswari.
The team of engineers from OHMAH visited the Tollygunge and Kidderpore depots of Calcutta Tramways Corporation and conducted the study to assess the effectiveness of its brand of lubricants.
“We were asked by the transport department to treat its fleet of vehicles with our bio-lubricant, which helps control pollution and improves the life cycle of engine oil. But while working with the buses we discovered that the consumption of engine oil is abnormally high due to lack of maintenance,” explained Maheswari.
According to him, faster heating of engine leads to higher consumption of engine oil and hence, high running cost for the buses.
“An engine is considered condemned when it exceeds the standard limit on the use of engine oil. On an average, the buses require nearly 22 l of engine oil every month, which is over four times the standard consumption,” said S.M. Ghosh, an automobile expert.
“We have received the report and will soon find out a solution,” said Ranjit Maity, joint secretary of the transport department.