KATHMANDU – The government’s plan to enforce the compulsory ‘green stickers’ rule to the vehicles passing emission test has been postponed yet again.
The Department of Transport Management (DoTM) had earlier announced to make it mandatory for the vehicles plying on the roads of all metropolitan and sub-metropolitan cities across the country, including Kathmandu, to pass the pollution test from July 17.
However, the DoTM put off the date for mandatory emission test to August 17 saying that the emission testing equipment have not reached the local level.
Exhaust Emission Analyzer, also known as gas analyzer, is a device that measure the amount of air pollutants emit by petrol vehicle and Diesel Smoke Meter is a device that measure pollutants emit by diesel engine vehicle.
“The pollution testing devices are being supplied to the concerned offices, some of the offices have already received the devices,” said DoTM Spokesperson Tulsi Aryal. He said the date for mandatory emission test was put off as it will take some time for the office staffers to get the necessary training on operating the equipment.
Earlier, the government was planning to implement the rule from mid-April. But the date was put off for July 17 saying the delay in the supply of the testing devices.
The department has requested all the four-wheel vehicles plying in all metropolitan and sub-metropolitan cities including Kathmandu Valley to visit their nearby transport management offices and get the ‘green sticker’ by undergoing the emission test from August 17. Aryal said 20 Exhaust Emission Analyzer and 20 Diesel Smoke Meter have been imported. He said 15 devices will be sent to offices under the department, while 6 devices will be send to service offices.
According to the Vehicle Emission Standard, four-wheelers should limit their Carbon Mono-Oxide (CO) emission to 3 percent, can emit maximum 1000 parts-per million (PPM) hydrocarbons, while the smoke should confine to 2.44 HSU. The department currently has 43 pollution measuring devices.
The environment status paper made public by the Ministry of Forest and Environment in April showed that vehicles accounted for 37 percent of total emission. According to DoTM, there are 2,372,316 motorbikes of the total 30,08109 vehicles. The department is preparing to issue a public notice requesting all the vehicles to compulsorily get the green stickers.
The government had earlier made the green stickers compulsory for vehicles plying in major places of Kathmandu Valley including Durbarmarg, Singha Durbar area, Thamel, New Road and Tribhuvan International Airport.
