Stiffer norms
The pollution under control (puc) norms for emissions from vehicles that are in use have been revised 10 years after being enforced. The Union ministry of road transport and highways issued the new notification on February 10. The revised standards would come into effect from October 1.
They include many new aspects. For the first time, hydrocarbon emissions from cars and two-wheelers running on petrol are to be regulated. This is apart from the existing carbon monoxide norms. The rules have also been differentiated according to vehicular technology. For instance, the hydrocarbon norms for Euro ii equivalent compliant cars fitted with three-way catalytic converters are different from that for pre-Euro ii cars. In another first, states have been allowed to set tighter emission rules than the centre. However, experts feel that the revised norms are still too lenient.