Lok Sabha Question No. 1160 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-11
Subject: Air Pollution by Vehicles
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: (Dr.) Ram Shankar Katheria, Ram Kripal Yadav, Janardan Mishra

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 1160

TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.12.2023

## Air Pollution by Vehicles

1160. DR. RAM SHANKAR KATHERIA: SHRI RAM KRIPAL YADAV: SHRI JANARDAN MISHRA:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government considers the vehicular emissions as one of the major reasons for the serious problem of air pollution;
- (b) if so, whether the Government has brought or proposes to amend the rules concerning the vehicular movement to tackle the said problem and the comprehensive details thereof; and
- (c) the steps taken by the Government for management of electric waste keeping in view the increasing proportion of electric vehicles?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

## (a) & (b):

The  major  factors  responsible  for  air  pollution include  vehicular  pollution,  industrial pollution,  dust  from  construction  and  demolition  project  activities  and  roads/open  areas, biomass and waste burning, etc.

The Government has taken following initiatives to control vehicular pollution

- a. Leapfrogging from BS-IV to BS-VI fuel standards since 1st April, 2018 in NCT of Delhi and from 1st April, 2020 for the rest of the country.
- b. Leapfrogging  from  BS-IV  emission  norms  to  BS-IV  emission  norms  nationwide w.e.f. 01.04.2020.
- c. Subsidy on e-vehicles and charging infrastructure under Faster  Adoption and Manufacture of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME -II India) scheme.
- d. Government has introduced blending of ethanol in petrol under the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme. Target of 10% ethanol blending has already been achieved and 20% blending of ethanol in petrol is targeted by Ethanol Supply Year(ESY)202526.
- e. Ministry  of  Road  Transport  and  Highways  (MoRTH)  has  formulated  Vehicle Scrapping Policy that includes a system of incentives/dis-incentives for creation of an
6. ecosystem  to  phase  out  older,  unfit  polluting  vehicles  across  the  country,  based  on their fitness ascertained through Automated Testing Station.
- f. MoRTH  vide  GSR  Notification  29(E)  dt  16.01.2023  provides  that  Certificate  of registration  for  vehicles  owned  by  Central,  State  and  UT  governments  and  their Departments, Local government (Municipal Corporations or Municipalities or Panchayats), State Transport Undertakings, PSUs and other Autonomous bodies with the Central Government and State Governments, shall not be renewed after the lapse of fifteen years.

Abatement of vehicular pollution has been one of the focus areas of the Government. For the abatement of pollution from vehicles, through the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM), the Government has advised the concerned states and GNCID to ensure seamless Traffic Management in their jurisdiction.

The concerned States and GNCTD have been asked for effective implementation of the new Pollution  Under  Control  Certificate  (PUCC)  regime  in  compliance  of  the  Central  Motor Vehicles Rules (Amendment) Rules, 2021 dated 14.06.2021 and taking action against visibly polluting vehicles, and overloaded vehicles.

- (c) The management of E-Waste is regulated under the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022. As per the provisions of rule 2 these rules are applicable to e-waste or electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) listed in Schedule I. The electric vehicles are not covered under schedule I, hence these rules are not applicable to the electric vehicles

For end of life disposal of e-vehicles, scrapping centers have been established for e-vehicles. The scrapping centers are required to be established as per the conditions stipulated under the notification 'Motor Vehicles (Registration and Functions of vehicle Scrapping Facility) Rules'  and  as  per  the  Guidelines  for  Environmentally  Sound  Facilities  for  Handling  and Scrapping of End-of- Life Vehicles (ELVs) issued by CPCB.

As  per  Motor  Vehicles  (Registration  and  Functions  of  Vehicle  Scrapping  Facility)  Rules, 2021,  State/UT Commissioner  (Transport),  are  the prescribed authority for granting registration to Vehicle  Scrapping Centres. Also, the activities related to vehicle Scrapping are  regulated  under  the  Water  (Prevention  &  Control  of  Pollution)  Act,  1974;  the  Air (Prevention  &  Control  of  Pollution)  Act,  1981  and  Environment  (Protection)  Act,  1986. Under  the  said Acts,  the  respective  State  Pollution  Control  Board/Pollution  Control Committee  are  the  prescribed  authority  for  granting  consent  and  authorization  to  such scrapping centers.

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