NGT allows registration of 20 diesel vehicles for fire tending

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar granted the relief to the fire department after it was informed that it does not have any vehicles which were more than 10-years-old.

"We permit 20 vehicles of the fire department to be registered by the RTO Delhi which are conforming to BS-IV norms. These vehicles should be used only for the purpose of fire tending and not any other purpose," the bench said.

The tribunal's order came after advocate Tarunvir Singh Khehar, appearing for the Delhi government, informed the bench that the fire department has bought 20 new diesel vehicles which are BS-IV compliant.

Earlier, the NGT had allowed 112 fire-fighting diesel vehicles, more than 10-years-old, to ply on the roads of Delhi but directed the department to take urgent steps to replace the old vehicles.

It had also directed the fire department to either condemn the old vehicles or send them outside the city where air dispersion was higher and vehicular density less.

The fire department had approached the green

panel seeking registration of its new vehicles as the tribunal had last year banned registration of new diesel vehicles as well as their re-registration after 10 years.

Later, the Supreme Court had also banned registration of diesel-run SUVs and cars having engine capacity beyond 2000cc in Delhi and National Capital Region.

Due to this, the transport department was not registering the newly-procured vehicles, which conform to BS-IV norms and not re-registering the old ones, the fire department said.

In a jolt to diesel car owners in the national capital, the tribunal had directed the Delhi government to cancel the registration of all diesel-powered vehicles over 10 years old from plying in the city.

Later, the tribunal had clarified that deregistration of old diesel vehicles in the national capital would be carried out in a phased manner.