Kolkata, July 31 - Kolkata commuters are likely to face a harrowing time with all commercial vehicles older than 15 years going off the roads from Saturday following the West Bengal government's decision to implement the high court's ban on these vehicles.

The Supreme Court Friday refused to stay the Calcutta High Court order banning the pre-1993 make vehicles from the Kolkata roads starting Aug 1, thereby clearing the decks for the state government to seize the forbidden buses, mini buses, taxis and auto rickshaws, which are said to be a principal source of the high pollution levels in the city.

In a swift response after the apex court's stand, the transporters decided that nearly 4,000 buses, 1,000 taxis and the entire fleet of 70,000 autos will stay off the roads from Saturday.

'We've decided not to run commercial vehicles more than 15 years old in the Kolkata Metropolitan Area from Aug 1,' said Swarnakamal Saha of the Kolkata Metropolitian Bus and Mini Bus Owners Association. Around 9,000 private bus and mini buses move on the city roads daily.

Taxi Bachao Committee (Save Taxi committee) president Bimal Guha told IANS that about 6,800 of the 37,000 taxis that ply in the Kolkata Metropolitan Area come under the ban.

'Of them, 5,800 taxi owners have applied for replacement. But the government has failed to make available the replacement vehicles by talking to Hindustan Motors. So, about 1,000 taxis will not ply,' Guha said.

Auto operators say of the 65,000 auto rickshaws (35,000 of them illegal), only 2,300 have been converted into four-stroke LPG mode. 'The court has not banned two-stroke LPG mode autos. But it the government which is insisting that only autos with four-stroke engines will be allowed. So, almost the entire fleet of autos has to remain off the roads,' said auto union leader Tapan Agasthi.

A top transport department official said there was no way the government can go soft.

'It is the court order and we have to implement it. Transport department officials, police and motor vehicles department officers will carry out operations all across Kolkata Metropolitan Area to ban these old vehicles,' said Transport Secretary Sumantra Chowdhury.

'We have also decided to run commercial vehicles through government franchise if the operators decide to go on strike,' Chowdhury said.