This is an archive article published on July 21, 2016
Delhi: Deregister diesel vehicles older than 15 years first, says NGT
Directing the RTO to deregister all 15-year-old diesel vehicles first, the NGT said such vehicles will not get No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for plying outside Delhi-NCR.
Directing the RTO to deregister all 15-year-old diesel vehicles first, the NGT said such vehicles will not get No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for plying outside Delhi-NCR.
Two days after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed the Regional Transport Office (RTO) to immediately deregister all diesel vehicles in the capital older than 10 years, the tribunal said Wednesday that deregistration would be carried out in a phased manner and diesel vehicles which are at least 15 years old should be deregistered first.
Directing the RTO to deregister all 15-year-old diesel vehicles first, the NGT said such vehicles will not get No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for plying outside Delhi-NCR. It also barred the entry of trucks, which are just as old, with national permits inside Delhi-NCR. The tribunal also directed the Delhi government to respond on the issue of capping of vehicles and submit its views on limiting private cars in Delhi. The NGT has also asked it to take immediate steps to improve and strengthen the public transport system and introduce buses which are CNG-run, hybrid or electric ones.
“All diesel vehicles which are more than 15-years-old and are BS-I, BS-II shall be scrapped and no NOC for transfer of such vehicles will be issued. Heavy vehicles including trucks with national permits will not be permitted to enter Delhi, but allowed to bypass Delhi through alternate routes,” said a bench headed by Justice Swatanter Kumar.
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The direction came after after Additional Solicitor General Pinky Anand, appearing for the Ministry of Heavy Industries, submitted to the bench that essential services and food supply chain had been affected by the tribunal’s order.
“We make it clear that deregistration of diesel vehicles shall be complied with effectively without any default. However, registration authorities are directed to start the process with reference to oldest vehicles first, that is, diesel vehicles which are 15 years old should be deregistered first,” the bench observed.
During the proceedings, the tribunal also clarified that only deregistered diesel vehicles which are less than 15 years old can get NOCs for plying in select areas outside Delhi-NCR. This will be decided by state authorities where vehicle density is less, the tribunal noted. The tribunal also asked the states to identify areas where dispersion of air is higher and vehicle density is low.
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Meanwhile, the NGT Wednesday said that construction sites above 20,000 square metres in the capital will be fined Rs 5 lakh for causing dust pollution. It also clarified that construction sites which are built on a plot area of 100 square metres will pay Rs 10,000 while buildings of 100 to 200 sqm will pay Rs 20,000 as environmental compensation.
Kaunain Sheriff M is an award-winning investigative journalist and the National Health Editor at The Indian Express. He is the author of Johnson & Johnson Files: The Indian Secrets of a Global Giant, an investigation into one of the world’s most powerful pharmaceutical companies.
With over a decade of experience, Kaunain brings deep expertise in three areas of investigative journalism: law, health, and data. He currently leads The Indian Express newsroom’s in-depth coverage of health.
His work has earned some of the most prestigious honours in journalism, including the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism, the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) Award, and the Mumbai Press Club’s Red Ink Award.
Kaunain has also collaborated on major global investigations. He was part of the Implant Files project with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), which exposed malpractices in the medical device industry across the world. He also contributed to an international investigation that uncovered how a Chinese big-data firm was monitoring thousands of prominent Indian individuals and institutions in real time.
Over the years, he has reported on several high-profile criminal trials, including the Hashimpura massacre, the 2G spectrum scam, and the coal block allocation case. Within The Indian Express, he has been honoured three times with the Indian Express Excellence Award for his investigations—on the anti-Sikh riots, the Vyapam exam scam, and the abuse of the National Security Act in Uttar Pradesh. ... Read More
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Directing the RTO to deregister all 15-year-old diesel vehicles first, the NGT said such vehicles will not get No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for plying outside Delhi-NCR.
