A special bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in Ernakulam on Monday imposed a ban on the use of diesel vehicles older than 10 years in Kerala.
The tribunal, which took up a petition filed by the Lawyer’s Environmental Awareness Forum, issued an interim order banning older diesel vehicles and also imposing a fine of Rs10,000 on such vehicles if they continued running 30 days after the ban.
The petitioners claimed that Kochi had emerged as one of the most polluted cities in India because of diesel vehicles. They sought an immediate ban on old diesel vehicles, including trucks and buses.
A similar ban on old diesel vehicles is in force in Delhi. The Supreme Court had late last year also imposed a ban on the registration of diesel vehicles and SUVs with engine capacities of 2,000 cc and above.
Source : BS Motoring