City Action

First generation action has taken roots but the city has yet to meet the clean air standards. Kolkata is making efforts to reduce air pollution – its decision to phase out 15-year-old commercial vehicles from plying within the Kolkata Metropolitan Area and to make a transition from old polluting two-stroke engines to cleaner four-stroke engines running on LPG are steps in the right direction. But much more will have to be done. Policy decisions and action so far in the city

Action on vehicles

• The city has introduced Bharat Stage IV norms for vehicles in 2010

• Selling of pre-mixed 2-T oil made mandatory within Kolkata Metropolitan Area

• Introduced 50 ppm sulphur fuels

• Benzene content in petrol reduced to 1 percent

• Petrol blended with 5 percent ethanol mandatory since January 2003

• Only LPG driven three wheelers are registered in Kolkata since June 2003

• Up gradation of PUC emission testing centers

• Two-stroke autorickshaws banned

Action on industry

• Stricter location policy for new industrial units and restriction on setting up of polluting industries in municipal area of Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA)

• Efforts to ensure regulatory compliance for grossly polluting industries

• Introduction of stricter emission standards for boilers, ceramic kilns, foundries and rolling mill of KMA

• Mandatory use of clean fuels

• Financial assistance for installation of pollution control devices in small-scale industries etc.

• Regularly complying industries are felicitated with Environmental excellence awards.

• M/s Coal India Ltd. , M/s Eastern Coalfield Ltd., M/s Bharat Coking Coal Ltd. have been requested not to supply coal to the industries which have been ordered to discontinue the use of coal.

• About 67 percent of the coal fired boilers and about 73 percent of the coal fired ceramic kilns have already been converted to oil fired ones.