In a major setback to owners of diesel vehicles in the city, the National Green Tribunal on Monday directed that diesel vehicles older than 10 years will have to be de-registered with immediate effect
In a major setback to owners of diesel vehicles in the city, the National Green Tribunal on Monday directed that diesel vehicles older than 10 years will have to be de-registered with immediate effect. The tribunal had banned the diesel vehicles older than 10 years in its order in April last year.
After the Delhi police told the green tribunal that its efforts to curb diesel vehicles have not been successful, the NGT directed the RTO to take charge and de-register these vehicles and issued a public notice.
The tribunal had on April 7, 2015 held that all the diesel vehicles more than 10 years old will not be permitted to ply in Delhi-NCR. However, the green court has now pulled up the city authorities for failing to implement its order.
A bench headed by the NGT chairperson, Justice Swatanter Kumar, ordered the RTO of the transport department in Delhi to issue public notice in this regard that after de-registration of these diesel vehicles and supply the list to the Delhi traffic police, which will take appropriate steps in consonance with directions of the tribunal.
According to the green court, its directions have to be implemented with immediate effect.
Observing the impact of these vehicles on the air quality in the capital, the NGT said even during the two odd-even schemes initiated by the Delhi government, ambient air quality did not improve and, in fact, the parameters remained on the higher side more than the permissible limits. With the current air pollution in mind, the NGT noted these diesel vehicles must be stopped from plying. ”This itself (air quality during the odd-even schemes) is indicative that old diesel vehicles contribute majorly to pollute the air quality and therefore they must be stopped from plying. It is an accepted fact in India and all over the world that emissions from diesel vehicles are more injurious to environment than petrol or other sources of energy like CNG.”
“Be that as it may, we are of the considered view that there is no occasion for the tribunal to set aside April 7, 2015 order which prohibited plying of diesel vehicles more than 10 years old on the roads in Delhi-NCR... We hereby direct RTO, Delhi, to de-register all diesel vehicles which are more than 10 years old,” the bench said.
The tribunal passed the order after noting submissions of the Delhi police that said it had made continuous attempts to stop diesel vehicles more than 10 years old from plying on the roads of the national capital. “But they have hardly met any success,” the bench noted. Additional solicitor-general Pinky Anand and advocate Balendu Shekhar, appearing for Union ministry of heavy industries, said the tribunal should not impose such a harsh order as it would adversely affect the automobile sector and the economy.
Ms Anand said an impression has been created about the diesel fuel that it is more polluting which is not a reality and other fuels were also causing pollution. The additional solicitor-general said the auto industry contributes over 8 per cent of FDI under the “Make in India” initiative and is a major source of employment in India. The department of heavy industries also told the bench it was giving subsidy to the buyers of electric and hybrid vehicles to encourage their increased use. Noting the submissions, the NGT bench directed the ministry to file an affidavit giving the status of electric and hybrid vehicles in the country and also mention as to what benefits the ministry was considering for those who wished to dispose of their old vehicles.
The bench, which noted lack of enforcement of judicial orders, said the traffic police has submitted that in order to stop such vehicles it has time and again issued challans and levied fine on offending vehicles, but that has not yielded any result.
