National Green Tribunal has asked the Delhi government to find out ways to keep these vehicles off the roads
.jpg "In a latest move, NGT has asked the Delhi government to suggest by May 1 how to best enforce the ban on diesel vehicles (Photo: Amit Shankar)")
The ban that was imposed to prevent all diesel vehicles older than 10 years from plying on the roads of the national capital has been put on hold for the time being. On Monday, the National Green Tribunal (NGT), instead, asked the Delhi government to find out ways to keep these vehicles off the roads.
Earlier, the green body had banned all diesel vehicles older than 10 years from plying on the city’s roads in a bid to reduce air pollution. Last week, a landmark judgement was delivered by a bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar where he cited examples from countries like Denmark, China, Brazil and Sri Lanka, which are gradually banning diesel vehicles to reduce pollution. The bench had stated that “…certain stringent measures need to be taken to ensure that residents of the area do not travel closer to ill-health with each breath they take.”
However, during the past week the state government has been struggling to execute the ban. NGT has now asked the government to suggest by May 1 how to best enforce the ban on diesel vehicles. It has also asked the government to suggest incentives for those who scrap such vehicles.
Relief for car owners, truckers
The tribunal’s decision has come as a major relief for car owners in the national capital who complained that they were given no notice before the ban was announced. Truckers had also threatened to stop operations in and around Delhi which would have affected the prices of essential commodities.
NGT wants to impose the ban as it considers diesel as the main source of air pollution in Delhi. According to it, the situation was so alarming that people had been even advised to leave the capital to avoid respiratory problems.
The tribunal had earlier requested the Delhi government to provide information about the exact number of diesel vehicles plying on the city’s roads and their impact on the air quality.
Currently, approximately 1,400 cars are added to Delhi’s roads every day, adding to the air pollution.
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