Calcutta, Dec. 18: Auto emission testing centres are busy upgrading their equipment to meet the new pollution norms, but there is little effort to train people to run them.

Though over 30 of the 70 opacymeters used to check pollution by diesel-run vehicles in the city have been modernised, only three are functioning. The changes, costing about Rs 55,000, are necessary to meet the standards set by the central government, adherence to which has been made mandatory by Calcutta High Court.

The meters used to measure only the density of the smoke being belched out by the diesel vehicles. Now, RPM (revolutions per minute), engine oil temperature and smoke temperature will also have to be tested.

Asim Banerjee, secretary of the Auto Emission Testing Centres? Association, said: ?We have asked our members to upgrade their machines and many of them have done so. But only a couple are functioning as personnel to run these upgraded machines are still being trained.?

The West Bengal Pollution Control Board has been entrusted with imparting the training. Shyamal Sarkar, the member-secretary of the board, complained that the process was taking time as the operators had delayed in upgrading their equipment. ?Unless we are able to give practical training on the upgraded machines, there is no point in going through the exercise.?

Pradip Banik, spokesperson for AVL, which supplies opacymeters, admitted that there are few competent people to run the technologically advanced machines. ?We have upgraded 32 opacymeters, but many of them cannot be put into operation because those who will operate them haven?t been trained. We are planning to train them in operating the new machines,? he added.

Sources said multi-gas analysers, the new machines needed to check the emission of petrol cars according to the new standards, are easier to operate. But the upgraded opacymeters are more complicated and need trained personnel to be put to proper use.

Environmentalists pointed out that diesel-run vehicles cause the maximum pollution and hence, priority should be given to check emission of these vehicles.

Of the 1.5 million vehicles plying in the Calcutta Metropolitan Area, over 9 lakh are run by diesel. Among them are 7 lakh commercial vehicles, including buses, minibuses, taxis, auto-rickshaws and heavy vehicles.

?The commercial vehicles are carrying on emitting poisonous smoke and there is no machine to measure it,? said S.M. Ghosh, automobile expert and the main petitioner in the pollution case in the high court.

Transport secretary Sumantra Chowdhury said strict instruction had been given to all emission testing centres to instal both multi-gas analyser machines and opacymeters without delay.

?The delay is due to technical reasons. As the system is new, the operators are taking time to get accustomed to the machines. We are constantly in touch with the AETC (testing centre) operators to ensure operation of all machines as early as possible,? he said.