Rai said the department is also faced with a manpower crunch.
Delhi Transport Minister Gopal Rai on Thursday said that while the government is keen to effectively implement the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT’s) order banning diesel vehicles older than 10 years, his department is facing challenges and will hold a meeting with officials from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on Monday as the order needs to be implemented in the entire NCR.
Rai said seven enforcement teams of the Transport department had conducted raids at various checkpoints and impounded 30 trucks on Wednesday night. The raids, Rai said, will be conducted every night.
The department is faced with two challenges, the minister said. “At (Delhi’s) entry points, there are no U-turns. So if we find that the vehicle is not fit to enter as per the NGT order, we don’t have a system to turn it away. As a result, it is leading to law and order problems,” Rai said. But he said the raids will continue.
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Rai said the department is also faced with a manpower crunch. “Currently, there are 164 enforcement officers in the field. We have made an immediate demand for 250 civil defence personnel. The entry of diesel vehicles into Delhi takes place on a huge scale and the Transport department alone cannot take action. We have written to the Delhi Police today seeking their cooperation to implement the NGT order.”
“We had a meeting with the CM yesterday and some experts also attended it. They said that not much of the pollution in Delhi is caused during the day. It is mostly caused when entry is opened to trucks at night. They are all diesel vehicles,” Rai said.
Rai said if the trucks entering Delhi can be checked within UP or Haryana and turned away before they reach the entry points, it will avoid congestion and law and order problems at checkposts. “We will hold a meeting with them on April 13 and request them to cooperate,” Rai said. He said the government has also written to the Centre on this.
The government is also looking at addressing issues like prevention of entry of diesel trucks carrying utilities and foodgrains. A suggestion to not promote diesel vehicles has been made to the government and is being considered, Rai said.
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