In a landmark judgment, the National Green Tribunal Circuit Bench here on Monday banned light and heavy diesel vehicles, which are more than 10 years old, in six major cities, including capital Thiruvananthapuram and commercial capital Kochi, in Kerala. In its first sitting, the Bench, comprising NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar and expert member Bikram Singh Sajwan, also directed the state government not to register any diesel vehicle in the capacity of 2000 CC and more, except public transport and local authority vehicles. “All the diesel vehicles whether light or heavy which are more than 10 years shall not be permitted to ply on the roads in the major cities like Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kochi, Thrissur, Kozhikode and Kannur,” the Bench said in its order. Upon expiry of 30 days from Monday if any vehicle is found to be violating this direction, it shall pay Rs 5,000 as environmental compensation and this will be collected by traffic police or pollution control board, the Bench added.