The state government has no particular policy in place to check the growing number of private vehicles in the state as they are the major cause of congestion on roads and pollution.
This was disclosed in a reply by Minister of State for Transport Sunil Sharma in the House to a question raised by BJP MLC Ramesh Arora about the status of number of private vehicles and public transport in the state.
The MLC, talking to Kashmir POST, said since his question received “improper reply”, it was moved for discussion and was accepted.
“The menace of ever-growing number of private vehicles with no check from any government agency has led to more pressure on the already narrow roads of Jammu and Kashmir. Besides, there are no particular parameters in place to check the pollution levels of these vehicles,” said Ramesh Arora.
Arora was informed in the House that 81 per cent of the vehicles in the state are privately owned, while the rest of 19 per cent are public transport. Telling the House that Jammu city stands first in India regarding traffic congestion and second in Asia after Hiroshima, Arora said the minister gave an improper as well as an “ignorant” reply saying that according to the Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Jammu did not figure in top 22 cities of India in terms of number of registered vehicles.
The minister said in view of changing patterns in lifestyle and increase in spending capacity of individuals no curb could be placed on the purchase of vehicles for private use.
Talking to Kashmir Post, the minister, however, said the government had already taken some effective steps to pass some strictures on the validity and pollution measures of the vehicles.
“There is a particular running time period of 25 years for a vehicle, which thereafter can be extended to 15 more years, but only after passing a six monthly test,” said the minister, adding that the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had included a particular norm, BS IV, for pollution curbs which had been made effective since October last year.
Bharat Stage emission standards (BS IV), introduced in 2000, are emission standards that have been set up the Central government to regulate the output of air pollutants from internal combustion engine equipment, including motor vehicles. Different norms are brought into force in accordance with the timeline and standards set up by the Central Pollution Control Board, which comes under the Ministry of Environment and Forests and Climate Change.
No policy to check growing number of private vehicles: Transport Minister
