Delhi truck ban during winter may not affect essential supplies, prices

Traders hope vegetables, fruits and milk would be kept out of the ban

The Delhi government’s decision to ban the entry of trucks and other heavy vehicles from entering the city between October 2022 and February 2023 may not have an impact on the prices of vegetables and other essentials if they are kept out of the ban.

This move is being undertaken to reduce air pollution during the winter months.

Traders said whenever such a ban is imposed, supply of essential items such as vegetables, fruits and milk is usually kept outside the purview so that there is no shortage. It may be the case this year also.

“However, the exact details will be known close to the ban,” a senior official from a transport fleet said.

SP Singh, senior fellow and coordinator of Indian Foundation and Transport Research and Training, said CNG-fitted trucks have been kept out of the ban and it only applies to diesel trucks.

“In a day, around 50,000 diesel trucks, on an average, enter the city whose movement could get impacted due to the ban,” Singh said.

He said the overall impact could be less, if essential supplies are exempted from the ban. Singh added that the government should look for other ways to reduce pollution rather than banning the entry of trucks.

The Delhi government — in its order — said no trucks would be allowed to enter the city from October 1 to February 28 next year.

Delhi’s air quality had touched dangerous levels during the winter months in recent times and the levels of pollutant particulate matter 2.5 or PM2.5 remains consistently above the threshold during winter.

There are multiple reasons attributed to this. They include industrial discharge, automotive emissions, crackers burnt during Diwali and crop-residue burning in Haryana and Punjab.

In recent years, the Delhi government banned the entry of trucks only when pollution levels spiked in winter. This time, the government announced the entry ban for trucks early to prevent extreme levels of air pollution.

Meanwhile, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has strongly opposed the decision. It said this decision will adversely affect business in Delhi, particularly at a time when these five months are during the festival and wedding seasons.

CAIT has convened a meeting of leading business associations of Delhi on June 29 to decide the future course of action.

“Since it will badly affect the transport business, CAIT is also in talks with transport organisations. In collaboration with them, it may launch an agitation against the Delhi government,” a statement said.

It said all the goods that arrive in Delhi from other states come in trucks that run on diesel.

“Due to the long distances, no trucks can run on electric or CNG power,” said Praveen Khandelwal, secretary general of CAIT.

He said the association is also planning to apprise the lieutenant governor of Delhi Vinay Kumar Saxena about the consequences of the order. If needed, CAIT will seek intervention from the central government.