PATNA: Air pollution has doubled in the state capital in the last five years on account of a sharp rise in the number of vehicles in the city. The officials concerned have miserably failed to ensure enforcement of rules pertaining to curbing of vehicular pollution. 

There has been a sharp spurt in the number of vehicles plying in the city, especially in the last three years. The data available with district transport office shows that 1.2 lakh commercial vehicles were registered in the city in the last three years. Add to that the figure of private vehicles, and the total number increases astonishingly. 

Naveen Kumar, a scientist with the Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB), said that according to a survey done by the board, Patna City, Kankarbagh, Dak Bungalow and Station areas are the worst-affected by high pollution. 

As per the survey conducted in 2009-10, the presence of nitrogen oxide and respirable suspended particulate matter (tiny particles on which gravitational force does not act, making them easily reach the air packets in lungs) in air has doubled in last five years. 

During 1997-98, nitrogen oxide's presence in Patna was 32 which went up to 60.1 in 2009-10 in the highly polluted areas of the city. Respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM) went up from 70 (1997-98) to 121 (2009-10) in less polluted areas. 

Kumar said due to increase in air pollution, health problems such as itching,redness of skin, mottling of teeth (appearance of white flecks or yellow/brown spots on the surface of teeth), yellowness of eyes, headache, respiratory tract irritation, cough and sore throat are common. 

Officials concerned have largely failed to enforce the requisite norms for pollution control. Vehicles are required to obtain pollution control certificates from designated testing centres at regular intervals, so that they do not pollute air beyond a certain set level. A large number of vehicle owners, however, are not aware of this rule. 

Pankaj Kumar, a resident of Kankarbagh and owner of two cars, said, "I have never heard of such a rule. Neither the transport department nor the traffic police officials have ever demanded pollution control certificate from me during checks." His is not a single case. A number of vehicle owners expressed ignorance about the need for the certificate. 

According to Traffic SP Ajeet Kumar Sinha, the vehicles lacking pollution control certificates are liable to be fined Rs 1,000 each under Section 190 (2) of the Motor Vehicle Act, 1989. He said in the last three years traffic police have collected Rs 6.13 crore as fine. 

Sinha said they expected at least the educated people to be aware of rules and obtain pollution control certificates. Ironically, the cost of pollution check varies from Rs 25 to Rs 150 depending on the vehicle. Against this, the fine for violation of the rule is Rs 1,000. 

Incidentally, there are 20 functional pollution control centres in the city to undertake tests and issue certificates, said Arun, scientific officer of the state pollution control board. But most of these are unable to function properly because very few vehicle owners turn up for certification. 

On a visit to one of these centres, an employee said, "Most of the vehicles that come here are commercial ones. May be, because without the certificate they would not be able to get their permits renewed. But, private vehicle owners do not turn up at all, unless traffic police are running a drive and checking certificates." 

RK Verma of Bihar State Automobile Association told TOI that the cost of one pollution checking machine is about 1.2 lakh. "Rarely anyone turns up for getting the certificate."