HYDERABAD: A rapid increase in vehicles in Telangana has resulted in apprehension about the increasing pollution levels in the state. As per the Telangana Transport department, the total number of vehicles in Telangana stands at 1.65 crore — to be precise 1,65,65,130 — as of May 31, 2024. However, as the state has only 500 pollution checking units, it is estimated that over 70 per cent of the vehicles in Telangana are unchecked for pollution.
According to senior assistant of RTO, Khairatabad, Ravi Kiran, “Every newly-registered vehicle is supposed to get a Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate within six months of its registration. When the vehicle surpasses the pollution levels, a fine of `2,000 to `5,000 is imposed based on the vehic;le and the pollution level.”
According to the operators of the pollution checking units, each of their units check around 11 vehicles per day. If all 500 pollution checking units in the state tested 11 vehicles every day, the cumulative figure would come to 5,500 per day and 20,07,500 a year, if the units are functional 365 days without taking any holiday.
This leaves 14,557,630 out of 16,565,130 vehicles in the state unchecked for pollution.
As per the transport department, the pollution load for two-wheelers stands at 56.2 per cent, for three-wheelers stands at 34 per cent, four-wheelers (petrol) at 12 per cent, four-wheelers (diesel) at two per cent, trucks at 18.85 per cent, buses at 1.54 per cent, and others at 0.26 per cent.
According to the transport department, out of pollution load, 61.4 per cent is carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons 34 per cent, nitrogen oxides 3.85 per cent, sulphur dioxide 0.54 per cent, suspended particulate matter 0.18 per cent and lead 0.023 per cent.
As per the Telangana transport department, “the total vehicular pollution load (VPL) in twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad alone is 1,500 tonnes per day.”
