Canada heaves sigh of relief. The European Union’s plan to rank oil extracted from tar sands as highly polluting hit a roadblock as its fuel quality directive committee (a group of experts) could not reach a unanimous decision in the voting held on February 23. The oil extracted from tar sands, like those found in the Canadian province of Alberta, was to be given a default value of 107 grams of CO2 equivalent per megajoule (MJ).

A controversial EU plan to label oil originating from oil sands deposits, like those found in the Canadian province of Alberta, as “highly polluting” has been temporarily put on hold, after an EU committee failed to make a definite decision on the matter.

One of the vital activities in an urban area is transport. However it also contributes to air pollution, noise pollution and road traffic accidents. Congestion, vibration, community severance and visual intrusion are other transport related problems. Air quality on the city of Kolkata (a metro city of India) seems to be deteriorating. Pollution level in the city and its outskirts is alarming. This is due to old vehicle plying in the road of Kolkata and illegal vehicle plying violating pollution norms, by using bad fuel such as KATATEL.