Will bring law to exempt tractors from National Capital Region's diesel ban: Haryana CM Khattar in Assembly

New Delhi: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday said the state will bring legislation exempting tractors from the rule that bans diesel vehicles older than 10 years from plying in NCR areas. The NGT has taken a stand that plying of diesel and petrol vehicles older than 10 and 15 years respectively will not be allowed in the National Capital Region area, Khattar told the Assembly.

"We have conveyed verbally as well as in writing that this (order) should not be implemented with strictness. But still I give assurance that we have taken exemption for tractors earlier too, and we will bring legislation in this session to seek exemption for tractors till 2025," he said, replying to the debate on the governor's address during the ongoing Budget session.A few days ago too, Khattar had said that tractors should not be included in the policy issued by the central government to ban diesel and petrol vehicles older than 10 and 15 years respectively from plying in the NCR.

Touching on another issue, Khattar reiterated that the area within a radius of up to 100 km around Delhi should be kept in the NCR. He said that out of the 22 districts of Haryana, 14 are affected by NCR policies and nearly 57 per cent area of the state comes under the NCR.

The government has received several representations from elected representatives and the people as well who have pointed out practical difficulties being faced by far-off districts due to various norms that are applicable to cities like Gurugram, Khattar said.

Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda, however, suggested that in the long run, the districts which are part of the NCR are going to benefit.