 "SC, green panel to decide fate of Delhi's diesel cars today")
Diesel cars in Delhi could have a bumpy ride ahead with the Supreme Court likely to pass an order on Wednesday to cut down the alarming levels of pollution in the city.
The order could stop the registration of new diesel cars with more than 2,000-cubic centimetres (cc) capacity, cancel licences of 15-year-old vehicles and enforce stricter emission norms. Environment compensation charges on commercial vehicles passing through the city could also be doubled. The registration might be stopped for three-four months.
The fate of 6,000 diesel cars that dealers in Delhi have in stock now hangs in the balance. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on December 11 passed an order stopping the registration of new diesel cars in the national capital as well as renewal of registration of diesel vehicles more than 10 years old till January 6. Car dealers were supposed to meet the NGT officials to request permission to sell their stock but the green panel decided to wait till the Supreme Court passed its order.
The NGT on Tuesday directed the Centre and the Delhi government to clarify their stand by Wednesday on causes of pollution in the capital, besides capping and scrapping of old diesel vehicles after car dealers sought modifications to its "harsh" order. It also issued notices to all stakeholders - the Union ministries of road transport, environment and heavy industries as well as the Delhi government.
Advocate Harish Salve, who is assisting the apex court as amicus curiae in the pollution case told Business Standard that the problem will only end when pollution ends.
In February last year, Salve presented a report before the apex court that linked the deaths of 3,000 children every year in the city to increased pollution levels. He claimed that the massive sale in diesel cars came on the back of a diesel price that is almost at par to CNG. He said increasing emissions contributed to the destruction of ambient air quality in Delhi. Since then, he spearheaded a campaign against diesel cars, calling it the main culprit in Delhi's pollution.
The Supreme Court is hearing a petition filed by Arvind Gupta, an economist, who has pleaded that Euro emission norms be followed in Delhi. Separately, three children living in Delhi have approached, through their parents, the Supreme Court seeking action against the depreciating air quality in the capital.
The industry is naturally unhappy.
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A BUMPY RIDE FOR DIESEL CARS Sellers of diesel cars in Delhi could face hurdles in clearing their stock with the Supreme Court taking a strong stance against pollution |
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Court whip WHAT IT SAID “The rich people can’t go around in SUVs polluting the environment... People’s life is at stake and you are interested in selling cars” WHAT IT’S CONSIDERING
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"The cleanest vehicles, compliant with BS IV are being questioned while older vehicles with BS I and BS II norms are allowed to ply. This is happening after the industry invested in upgrading to manufacture BS IV vehicles," said an official at the Society of Indian Automobile Manufactures (Siam).
BS IV, or Bharat stage IV, is an emission norm enforced since April 2010. The Siam had claimed last week that banning BS IV-compliant vehicles will not have any impact on Delhi's air quality.
Ashok Sachdev, a functionary of the Automobile Traders' Association, Delhi, argued before the NGT that new diesel vehicles sold in Delhi are compliant with BS IV norms and pollute much less than older Euro I and II cars. He said older vehicles were the culprits.
The association has also asked to move the dates for stricter norms nearer. The Union government has recently advanced the deadline to implement BS V and VI norms to 2019 and 2021, respectively. But Siam last week said the government's plan to advance BS VI to 2021 is "unrealistic".
Delhi government has decided to allow only odd- and even-numbered private cars on the roads on alternate days for a fortnight from January 1 in an effort to check pollution.
The Delhi High Court has mooted the idea that the National Capital Region may be treated as one state with respect to CNG cabs so that laws and guidelines on vehicular emissions could be uniformly enforced. The bench said under Article 301 (freedom of trade and commerce) of the Constitution, no one can be stopped from entering the national capital but then changes could be made to the existing Motor Vehicle Act so that rules and regulations could be enforced uniformly. The court was hearing a plea filed by the Association of Radio Taxis. The next day of hearing is January 8.
