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Fraud in PUC certificates
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A few intelligent operators have developed a similar software that could manually generate a clear test certificate even without conducting a check.
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Photo; K.R. Deepak
An autorickshaw seen emitting pollutants.
When Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu launched the mobile and stationary computerised pollution task force in Hyderabad in August 2002 and instructed the officials of Municipal Administration, Regional Transport Authority and Pollution Control Board to prepare progress reports every 15 days and present it to him, little did he realise that the computers with their e-savvy operators can take the departments concerned for a ride. Just like the hackers who can play havoc with the data in the info highway, built-in programmes can be cloned to suit individuals who have the inclination to make a few fast bucks fraudulently.
The intention of CM was noble, as air pollution is a vital factor in day- to-day lifeline. If not checked now it could be a major hazard in the coming years. The ambient air in most of the main cities in India is on the borderline as per a WHO survey conducted a couple of years ago. And Visakhapatnam is fast progressing to reach that mark. It has got all the required sources present within its geographical boundaries that are required to pollute the air, like steel plant, refinery, few petrochemical plants and thermal power station, apart from the growing number of vehicles on the road.
Though the industries claim to come under zero emission category, the roads of this budding metro is host to over three lakh vehicles. Combustion of fossil fuels emits chemicals like carbon monoxide, carbon, hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, benzene and lead. The inhalation of these chemicals is the main cause for respiratory diseases and a medical survey by a few research students substantiates its growth. A chemical like carbon monoxide if inhaled in large quantities can affect the haemoglobin in the blood cells and that can result to permanent disability as the mechanism for oxygen reproduction would be destroyed.
Keeping these things in mind the Ministry of Environment in league with the State Governments framed a few guidelines like phasing out over 15-year-old vehicles - this is still to be implemented in AP - and making pollution checks mandatory.
To make the check stringent and corruption-free the Chief Minister initiated the computerised pollution check centres. These are equipped with imported smoke meters for diesel vehicles and gas analysers for petrol vehicles to generate the `pollution under control' (PUC) certificate through computers. The computers are programmed to record the readings that are processed through these gadgets. The programme is so designed that the entire operation is automated once the nozzle of the smoke meters is inserted into the silencer of an idling vehicle and the number plates are photographed through the attached web camera.
"The entire action is automatically done and hence can overcome the common criticism that PUCs can be obtained for a song without even a check. In fact, if the vehicles fail the test a rejection slip mechanically comes out. As per rule that person is supposed to come back within seven days for another check after rectification and he would not be charged again. Carbon monoxide is the main pollutant that is checked and the standard set for petrol cars is below 3.0; for two-wheelers it is 4.5 and for diesel vehicles it is 6.5. A petrol gadget cannot be used for diesel vehicles and vice versa as the machines and the computers are tuned for their respective usage," says the Deputy Transport Commissioner, B. Venkateswarulu.
But what is happening here is something very undesirable keeping the cause and the initiatives taken by the Government departments in mind. Visakhapatnam in total has over 23 pollution check centres with three mobile units out of which two belong to the RTA itself. Most of the stationary units that are located on the highway and petrol bunks are equipped with one of the two variants of the checking machines, and a few intelligent operators have developed a similar software that could manually generate a clear test certificate even without conducting a check.
Scanned images of the PUC certificates that were issued manually. The certificate on the right was the first manual certificate issued for diesel clearance and the one on the left is for petrol for the same car.
The scanned certificates of the car featured with this story are a proof of the malpractice undertaken by these fraudulent checkers. This car was given a diesel clearance the first day when the car is actually a petrol variant. How can a diesel smoke meter generate a test report for a petrol vehicle? It is highly impossible as the filters in the respective checking machines would not transmit any data to the computer if inserted in the wrong variant and the monitor would indicate a malfunction. The entire reading was manually fed, certifying emissions under control. To substantiate the wrong practice the same car was taken for another test a day later to the same centre and put up for a petrol clearance certificate. This time also the same diesel smoke meter was used as this checker is equipped with only one machine to generate a PUC certificate for this petrol vehicle. How is that possible? The same process of manual feeding was involved to generate an excellent test result and it was issued and certified by the same person. What has happened in the process is that none of the reports is true and right. That must be the case with every vehicle they check.
A few operators seem to have cloned the original software to enable them to generate the test report manually so that they can issue certificates to all irrespective of the variants.
What do they gain is the question? Most of the diesel vehicles go beyond the prescribed norm and rectifying them is a time consuming affair with financial implications. A test certificate issued once is valid for six months. So, by spending Rs.60 they play safe. If they subject themselves to test in any of the genuine centres then they are asking for trouble. The PUC certificate is a must for all diesel vehicles as they are supposed to go for fitness test every year. These narrow minded checkers facilitate them by issuing manual certificates and moreover with one time investment on one machine they could satisfy both diesel and petrol vehicle owners. After all, what the RTA wants is an authentic certificate from one of their authorised centres with their hologram.
But the question is who is being cheated? Blissfully the pollution checkers are cheating themselves because they also have to breathe the same polluted air that others do. If this is happening in a place like Visakhapatnam then there is all the possibility that it is rampant in other bigger cities. And if so the entire purpose stands defeated.
SUMIT BHATTACHARJEE
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