ICAT studying use of remote sensing for detecting polluting vehicles

The International Centre for Automotive Technology is conducting a study to analyse if remote sensing can be used in detecting heavy polluting vehicles, the Supreme Court-appointed EPCA has said.

The ICAT has till now tested 70,000 vehicles in Delhi-NCR, the Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) was told in a meeting by representatives of the R&D body.

The results of the study would be submitted to the Supreme Court.

On May 10 last year, the apex court had issued directions regarding trials for remote sensing equipment to be used for monitoring pollution from on-road vehicles.

The EPCA also said on Monday it will work with insurance bodies to ensure complete compliance of the Supreme Court order for mandatory linking of Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate with issuance of annual vehicle insurance.

The insurance bodies said they will also start a pilot project in the Delhi region to identify the vehicles that do not come back for registration of the PUC.

"We will then share the details of such vehicles with the transport department," the companies said.

The EPCA also said it would direct the Delhi government to "strongly advertise that insurance is mandatory and so is PUC".

"What we can make sure is that there is good compliance of the order in Delhi-NCR," EPCA member Sunita Narain said.

"Let us work towards 100 per cent insurance and 100 per cent PUC compliance in the NCR and see what are the loopholes and let us see how the improvements can be made," she said.