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Emission testing corruption | Dilum to clear the air

23 Aug 2020

By Sarah Hannan The Government is looking to streamline the vehicle license issuance process to end the corruption within the process. State Minister of Vehicle Regulation, Bus Transport Services, Carriages, and Automotive Industries Dilum Amunugama said: “Several complaints have been forwarded regarding corruption during the issuance of vehicle emission testing (VET) reports every year.” “While the certification will be required for certain vehicles, we do not see a need for all vehicles to go through this, as there are zero-emission vehicles now in the market.” Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Amunugama noted that there are instances where some of these vehicles which obtained a clean VET certification can be seen releasing toxic emissions when they come to renew their vehicle licenses. He explained that the Government is looking to amend the existing carbon emissions testing system, as instances of corruption are continuously reported, including at the testing centres operated by three main companies. The State Minister said many complaints have been received on bribes being offered to staff members to bypass the regulatory requirements and on untrained testing staff working at the centres. Meanwhile, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa too had earlier expressed his concern on permitting vehicles with carbon emissions to run on roads, causing increased environmental pollution even after making the vehicle emission testing compulsory. Meanwhile, Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) Executive Director Hemantha Withanage, recalling one of the lawsuits on air pollution in 2010, in which he supported Lawyer Lalanath de Silva, said it unearthed various levels of corruption from testing personnel to the Police. “During the hearing, Lalanath de Silva urged the Supreme Court to rule that citizens have a fundamental right to a healthy environment. Sri Lanka’s Constitution guarantees a right to life, but Colombo’s air is so polluted that breathing damages peoples’ lungs,” he said. “Lalanath asserted that Sri Lanka`s Government, by failing to implement adequate air quality standards, was violating Sri Lankans’ right to life.” Explaining that while a well-tuned engine can save the environment, fuel, and money, the current vehicle emissions test procedure does not resolve the problems. Adding from his experience, Withanage noted: “My vehicle once failed four times, but someone was able to obtain the emissions report after paying an extra Rs. 500. This cleared my doubts. I checked with many drivers and garage mechanics and several of them have gone through similar experiences.” He said that the corruption in testing centres operated by both companies involved in testing programmes is one of the problems. Moreover, most testing staff have no training and experience in handling and understanding the mechanical problems of a vehicle, while garage mechanics don’t understand the science of emission testing. “Sometimes garage mechanics try to make money. One mechanic suggested I remove the engine head and clean it with the cost of Rs. 15,000. I then took the vehicle to the manufacturer and they tuned the vehicle with new plugs and air filters but failed the emissions test again. I found the agent did not even have any emission testing equipment at that time,” Withanage said. He added that the vehicle emissions test is a money-making machine for many groups and for the Government as, allegedly, personnel at the testing centres get bribes to pass the vehicle and policemen get bribes not to search for those polluting vehicles.  

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