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West Bengal to allow sales of only euro-fit cars from July

Falling in line with the recent Supreme Court order on emission norms, West Bengal government today announced that only the cars conforming to Euro-I emission standards will be permitted sale and registration in the Calcutta metropolitan area beginning July 1, 1999.

Further, the Euro-II emission norms would come into effect from April 1, 2000 and all cars must comply to these standards, West Bengal Environment Minister Manab Mukherjee said today.

The state government will not to permit more than 15-year-old taxis to ply in the city from January 1, 2001. An announcement on the retirement age of buses, mini-buses, trucks, vans and auto-rickshaws would also be made on the Independence Day (August 15).

He said the government has sent a list of these steps to the Central Pollution Control Board for its concurrence and the environment department would issue a notification invoking the provisions of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.

Mukherjee said environment and transport departments were determined to reduce air pollution in the city and had initiated a number of steps to clean up the city's air.

''We have conducted a study which proves that the lungs of people in Calcutta suffer 10 times more than those who stay in an emission free zone like the Sunderbans,'' he said.

Meanwhile, transport operators have threatened to launch an agitation, including strike, and demanded necessary infrastructure in the city and subsidy for change of vehicles.

UNI

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