Transport dept deploys 15 squads, penalises 1500 vehicles

The state transport department in Mumbai has deployed 15 squads to curb pollution from transportation of construction materials. The squads have penalised 1,500 vehicles and collected ₹13,80,000 in fines.

Mumbai: The state transport department has deployed 15 squads across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) including entry points into the city to curb pollution from transportation of construction materials. By Friday evening, the squads had penalised 1,500 vehicles for violating pollution control norms and collected ₹13,80,000 in fines.

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The squads were deployed after chief minister Eknath Shinde held a meeting with various departments and ordered officials to take stringent measures to control rising pollution. Shinde had also ordered the transport department to undertake measures to control pollution from vehicles.

“One of the reasons behind rising air pollution is pollution through transportation of construction materials, and many vehicles do not follow norms like covering the truck/ van while transporting materials like cement. So we have deployed the 15 squads across MMR as per the orders of CM Shinde,” said a senior official from the state transport department.

Mumbai has been facing heavy pollution and poor air quality for over two weeks. Eknath Shinde recently held a meeting of various departments and ordered to take stringent measures to control rising pollution. Shinde had also ordered the transport department to undertake measures to control the pollution from vehicles.

Each squad includes officers from the transport department and the traffic police. The latter have been equipped with body cameras that can be used to monitor the actual action on ground. These squads have been instructed to inspect vehicles and take action against those which are not following norms. They will also check pollution through the smoke coming out of vehicles and this inspection will help reduce the pollution in Mumbai and surrounding areas, said officials.

Till Friday evening, the 15 squads together had inspected around 8,000 transport vehicles, of which 1,500 were penalised. Penalties to the tune of ₹13,80,000 was collected from their drivers, said the official.