Bihar: Drive against more than 15-year-old vehicles

PATNA: A day after CM Nitish Kumar ordered ban on all government vehicles more than 15 years old, the state transport department issued a notification in this regard on Tuesday to all the departments and agencies to implement it with immediate effect.
Transport department secretary Sanjay Kumar Agarwal wrote a letter to principal secretaries, secretaries of all departments, all divisional commissioners and district magistrates to review the vehicles being run under their respective jurisdictions and prohibit the movement of all vehicles over 15 years old with immediate effect.
The transport department also launched special drive in Patna on Tuesday to check the commercial vehicles in the state capital to ensure that none were more than 15 years old. The state government has also banned commercial vehicles over 15 years old in Patna and its neighbouring areas.
Ten autorickshaws and two city buses were seized by the officials while 22 drivers paid hefty fines for not following the pollution norms. Altogether 245 vehicles were checked at Dak Bungalow crossing, Gandhi Maidan, Kargil Chowk and Bihar Museum.
“The special drive will continue for a week. The motor vehicle inspectors (MVIs) and district transport officer (DTO) are monitoring the drive and taking action against the violators,” Agarwal said.
He said the department received complaints of kerosene use in autorickshaws and city buses. “Vehicles were checked by mobile checking pollution vans. Most of the autorickshaws and buses using kerosene oil were seized,” Agarwal said. The permit and fitness certificate of such vehicles will be cancelled, he added.
The department has again asked the residents to send videos or pictures of vehicles emitting black smoke on WhatsApp numbers 6202751158 and 9955332202 to take quick action against the violators. The residents must ensure that vehicle number is clearly visible to track them down.
Agarwal said the officials would cancel the fitness and permit of the commercial vehicles found exceeding the pollution limit.