Rid Delhi roads of 10-year-old diesel vehicles: NGT to Delhi govt

Strictly enforce the direction to stop over 10-year-old diesel vehicles from plying on the roads in Delhi, National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Friday ordered the Delhi government which faced a barrage of searching questions on the alarming air pollution levels here.

“Why are you not effectively stopping 10-year-old diesel vehicles? Issue directions to all the concerned authorities to take off all diesel vehicles which are over 10 years old from the roads,” a Bench headed by NGT Chairperson Swatanter Kumar said.

The Bench expressed its displeasure that its earlier order banning 10-year-old diesel vehicles was not being seriously executed and hoards of them were still visible on the roads with the traffic police doing nothing in the matter.

Advocate Tarunvir Singh Khehar, who appeared for the Delhi government, told the Tribunal that the authorities were challaning such vehicles but “we don’t have space to park the impounded vehicles.” 

“We are challaning such vehicles but we have no space for parking. We have identified 21 such places,” he said.

To this, the NGT asked him to move an application before it in this regard so that appropriate directions could be passed to the Delhi 

Development Authority to provide space for parking of seized vehicles.

However, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Pinky Anand, who was appearing for the Centre, told the green panel that diesel vehicles were not the major contributor to pollution and vehicular emission.