Gurgaon: The district administration has initiated efforts to phase out diesel autorickshaws plying in the city by Dec 31 — the deadline set by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) for all NCR cities.
Deputy commissioner Ajay Kumar held a meeting with officials of the regional transport authority (RTA) and police on Saturday and asked them to ensure such autos were seized at the earliest.
"Efficient traffic management plays a crucial role in shaping a city's image. As a Millennium City, Gurgaon attracts visitors from across the globe. We must ensure they leave with a positive impression of a clean and modern city," DC Kumar said.
It was in 2022 that CAQM set a Dec 31, 2024, deadline to phase out diesel autos in the NCR cities of Gurgaon, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Noida. Adjoining districts have another year to ensure the CAQM directive.
Officials agreed that with the deadline approaching, the administration had intensified efforts to rid the city of diesel autos.
Teams, they said, have been formed to impound diesel autos operating without proper registration or those being driven by underage drivers. Police and RTA officials have also been asked to monitor shared autos for overloading and throwing caution to the wind.
"We are taking every measure to reduce pollution and improve traffic systems to match international standards. So, it is necessary to remove diesel autos from the roads," Kumar said.
At present, the city has 38,400 autos, of which 1,015 run on diesel.
But removing diesel autos would also pose serious concerns for commuters. In the absence of enough public transport, shared autos become the lifeline for thousands of commuters. Currently, the city bus service has a modest fleet of 200, of which 50 are plying on Faridabad's roads.
"The registration of diesel autos stopped on Jan 1, 2023, in compliance with the National Green Tribunal's (NGT) guidelines. So far, over 80 diesel autos have been impounded as part of the enforcement drive," said Ravindra Kumar, RTA secretary and SDM.
The city's auto union said most diesel autos had already been phased out, while the others were operating on the outskirts. It, however, raised concerns on the lack of measures adopted by the govt to assist drivers who were likely to lose their livelihood.
"We support any move to reduce pollution, but there has been little effort to help drivers. Many were earlier told to replace their diesel autos with battery-operated ones. But there were not many takers of the scheme as these new autos have limited battery life, high cost of maintenance and lack charging facility. The administration should allow autos which have time go off roads," said Mahabir Singh, president of the Haryana auto drivers' union.