No place in City for old vehicles

Himalayan News Service’

Kathmandu, March 12:

The Department of Transport Management (DoTM) is all set to scan and test the emission level of 20-year and older vehicles so as to displace them from the Valley within the next two years. Citing deteriorating environmental condition in the Valley, the ministry of Labour and Transport Management has on Wednesday decided to immediately displace all the 20-year and older vehicles, which fail the emission test. Even those vehicles, which pass the emission test, would be allowed to ply in the Valley for the next two years only. “We are preparing to conduct surprise emission test to displace 20-year and older vehicles from the Valley as per the government’s decision,” said Hari Prasad Nepal, director general of the department.

Two years ago, the Supreme Court had ordered the government to displace 20-year and older vehicles from the Valley to reduce the increasing pollution in the Valley as the older vehicles are significant contributors to the City’s air pollution. “A monitoring unit has already been set up under the convenorship of director general Nepal.” The panel’s first meeting on coming Wednesday will decide the procedures to be followed,” Sharad Adhikary, the administrative director of the department, said. He said the vehicles that fail surprise emission test would be displaced immediately while those maintaining the standard would be allowed to ply in the Valley for the next two years only. “However, the department would keep on checking their emission levels in every six months,” he said. According to the department, around 12,000 20-year-old vehicles are currently plying on the the Valley roads. While 10,000 among them are public vehicles, the rest are government-owned vehicles. The department sources further said the owners would not be provided with any subsidy or compensation while importing new vehicles to displace the old ones.