Reiterating its previous orders, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has held that diesel vehicles that are 10-year-old will not be permitted to ply in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR).
A Bench headed by NGT chairperson Adarsh Kumar Goel said, “Applications [that] have been filed seeking permission to continue the use of 10-year-old vehicles or registration of new diesel vehicles which are not BS-IV [Bharat Stage-IV] compliant or are not needed for essential services cannot be allowed.”
Citing orders passed by the green panel in January this year, the Bench said new BS-IV vehicles that are engaged for essential services will be registered.
“We are of the view that applications filed by owners of new BS-IV-compliant diesel vehicles engaged in ambulance or fire services, and vehicles engaged for carrying petroleum products or food products, transportation of municipal solid waste, other such essential services, etc., will stand allowed,” said the Bench.
However, citing orders passed by the tribunal in October last year, the Bench said diesel vehicles plying in Moradabad, Meerut, Bulandshahr and Muzaffarnagar will be permitted for a period of three years beyond the 10-year period, provided they do not enter the Capital.
CNG fuel stations
Earlier, the tribunal had given the extended period of three years on the “grounds that the time was required for setting up of CNG fuel stations”. The directions came while the NGT disposed a four-year-old matter filed by petitioner Vardhaman Kaushik pertaining to air pollution in the Capital.