VET system to be scrutinized

Chamikara Weerasinghe

Environment and Natural Resources and Transport Ministries and the Motor Traffic Commissioner’s Department have called for details and statistics of all vehicle exhaust emission tests so far carried out by the emission test centres of the Clean Co Lanka and Laugfs Eco,the two companies responsible for issuing Vehicle Emission Test (VET) certificates for all motor vehicles.

Motor Traffic Commissioner B.Wijayaratna said , while a VET certificate is compulsory to obtain a revenue licences for a motor vehicle, some emission test centres were caught red handed for issuing them for money without a standard test being performed by the emission centres.

He was speaking at a press conference held on Tuesday at Sampathpaaya.

”The Department of Motor Traffic on Monday met officials of the two companies and asked them to submit all details and data of their work concerning the issue of VET certificates on the directions of Transport Minister Dallas Alahapperuma and Environment Minister Champika Ranawaka,” he said.

” The Department of Motor Traffic will come to a decision as to what should be done with those centres that have issued bogus certificates or have conducted emission tests with substandard equipment ,” he said.

Meanwhile The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources , The Department of Motor Traffic have opened telephone numbers to field public complaints and inquiries about vehicle exhaust emission standards . They are 011-5741691 and 060-2100152. Also CleanCo Lanka on 0114880000 and Laugfs Eco on 0117770770.

He said that the certification process is expected to reduce the levels of air pollution in the city. The importance of the Vehicular Air Pollution Reduction Program was felt with the ever increasing number of motor vehicles in the the country with over 250,000 new vehicles coming on to the roads every year,” he explained.

He said that hybrid vehicles belonging to the van category was the main polluter of air.

”We were faced with problems at the start of the program, with many vehicles not passing the emission tests as most of these vehicles are found to have been produced at a time when there was no “standards as such for air pollution or vehicle exhaust emissions, before 1975,” he said. .

”Thus the vehicles which were registered with the department before 1975 were exempted from the emission tests after informing the Divisional Secretaries and Provincial Commissioners,” he said.

”The land vehicles such as hand tractors and four wheeled tractors have also been exempted from emission tests, he said.

The authorities have also allowed a period of three years for new motor vehicles during which they can obtain revenue licences without having to obtain emission certificates.

The two companies on emission tests have complained that this has breached the conditions of the Agreement they have signed with the Motor Traffic Department as it states “ all vehicles in Sri Lanka” are subject to the emission tests.