The NGT has banned all petrol and diesel vehicles older than 15 years in Delhi and has also asked RTO to not issue registration or fitness certificates to such vehicles.
In the light of Delhi’s high-level pollution problems, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordered a new set of directives that will soon be implemented to counter the issues. In the 14 new orders made to curb the air pollution problems, the NGT has made one of the most stringent orders to ban all petrol and diesel vehicles older than fifteen years from running in Delhi. The ban affects over 10 lakh vehicles plying in the city that are older than fifteen years.
Headed by NGT chairperson Swatanter Kumar, the new order does not permit vehicles older than 15 years to run on the streets of Delhi and are to be seized by authorities as per the Motor Vehicles (MV) Act. Iterating the seriousness of the decision, the NGT also suggested the RTOs to not issue registration or fitness certificates for such vehicles. If any such vehicles are found in public areas, they should be towed away and fined, the tribunal said.
In addition to banning old vehicles, the NGT ordered to keep surveillance on over loaded trucks in the city, apart from fixing restriction on parking. The court has also asked to immediately build cycle tracks in most parts of the city and has suggested authorities to study the possibility of installing air purifiers at market places. The orders were issued by NGT in response to the petition filed by Vardhaman Kaushik on the pollution issue.
There are no two ways about the rising pollution issues in Delhi and the scenario is no different in other parts of the country as well. Apart from banning older vehicles, stringent emissions norms need to be brought in place and an upgrade to Euro 5 norms is needed with immediate effect. In addition, the government also needs to curb fuel adulteration which is also a major contributor to high emissions from vehicles.
