Ban on diesel cabs set to paralyse capital
After the Supreme Court’s ruling on Saturday, the ban on plying of 27,000 diesel-run taxis came into effect on Sunday even as its real impact is likely to be felt only on Monday, the first working day
After the Supreme Court’s ruling on Saturday, the ban on plying of 27,000 diesel-run taxis came into effect on Sunday even as its real impact is likely to be felt only on Monday, the first working day after the imposition of restriction. Thousands of commuters will be hit once the taxis go off the roads. The Supreme Court on Saturday refused to extend the April 30 deadline fixed for the diesel-run taxis for their conversion into CNG mode.
Authorities in various locations on Sunday impounded diesel-run cabs plying on the local routes in the national capital. “Instructions have been issued to concerned authorities, including the city transport department, to impound diesel-run taxis plying in Delhi-NCR,” a senior government official said.
According to the Delhi transport department, about 60,000 taxis are registered in the national capital and of them 27,000 are running on diesel. Around 2,000 diesel-run taxis had converted into CNG mode in the last two months.
The Supreme Court order is not applicable on cabs having all-India permits but most of the diesel cabs ply on local routes. The ban will essentially bring down the availability of cabs in the capital.
“As per rule, taxis having an all-India permit are required to cover a distance of around 200 km. Taxis having all-India permits cannot ply from one point to other point inside Delhi, Noida and Ghaziabad,” the official said.
The diesel cabs going off roads may inconvenience thousands of commuters as many of these taxis ferry people from Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon and Ghaziabad to offices and back home. “We can’t keep on extending the time. We are not extending it now and not going to make any exceptions. There is technology available, you convert,” a three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice T.S. Thakur, had said on Saturday while rejecting the plea that it would affect livelihood of poor drivers.
The bench, also comprising Justices A.K. Sikri and R. Banumathi, had on March 31, extended the deadline till Saturday for conversion of all diesel taxis to CNG.