SC breather for overage vehicle owners: Delhi govt

New Delhi: Chief Minister Rekha Gupta congratulated the people of the national capital on Tuesday over the Supreme Court order restraining authorities from initiating coercive action against owners of end-of-life vehicles and asserted that her government will “firmly” represent their interests through judicial processes.

Delhi Environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the apex court order has come as a “big relief” for the people of Delhi-NCR.

Gupta said in a statement that the court has accepted the Delhi government’s petition and no immediate punitive action will now be taken against the owners of diesel vehicles that are more than 10 years old and petrol vehicles older than 15 years in Delhi-NCR.

Through a review petition, the government had requested that vehicle evaluation be based not only on their age but also on their mileage and emission levels, so that only the vehicles that actually cause pollution are identified and acted upon, she said.

“By actively participating in the judicial process, we will continue to firmly represent the interests of the people of Delhi. This decision strengthens our resolve to maintain a balance between environmental protection and public convenience as we move towards a developed Delhi,” the chief minister said.

Sirsa thanked the Supreme Court and Gupta on the development.

“The Delhi chief minister has been fighting for the people of the capital,” he said and hoped that the city government would be able to justify its

stand in court.

“While we remain committed to cleaning Delhi’s air, we will also ensure that the rights of our citizens are safeguarded. We will succeed in saving people’s beloved vehicles as well as improving the environment and air quality of Delhi,” he added.

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court provided relief to the owners of old vehicles in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), directing authorities to refrain from taking coercive steps like seizing vehicles till the next date of hearing in the matter.

The top court was dealing with a plea seeking a recall of its October 29, 2018 order that upheld a National Green Tribunal (NGT) directive.

The apex court had then directed the transport departments of the NCR states to ban diesel vehicles aged more than 10 years and petrol vehicles that are over 15 years old from plying on roads in terms of the NGT’s order.

The NGT, on the other hand, had ordered that all diesel or petrol vehicles that were more than 15 years old not be allowed to ply on roads and that appropriate action,

including seizure, be taken under the Motor Vehicles Act in case of non-compliance.

The Delhi government moved the top court last month against the blanket ban on diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years.

According to figures provided by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), there are 62 lakh end-of-life vehicles in Delhi, of which 41 lakh are two-wheelers. The number of end-of-life vehicles in other parts of the NCR stands at around

44 lakh and these are largely concentrated in five high-density cities.

The issue of end-of-life vehicles resurfaced last month as the Delhi government moved to implement a CAQM directive to refuse refuelling of such vehicles from July 1.