Ban on large diesel vehicle sales in New Delhi imposed

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court banned registration of diesel-run SUVs and cars having engine capacity beyond 2000 cc in Delhi and National Capital Region till March 31, next year as it unveiled a slew of measures to curb the alarming rise in pollution levels in the city.

The court also announced, “A ban on registration of such vehicles will not, therefore, affect the common man or the average citizen in the city of Delhi”. However, the court exempted light commercial vehicles.

It has also ordered for the diversion of commercial vehicles not bound for Delhi as mainly trucks which pass through Delhi have been found to be the major sources of vehicular emissions in the city.

All diesel engines used by Mercedes-Benz on their cars in India are above the 2-litre engine capacity that has been banned. The majority of owners in Delhi and across India prefer diesel-powered vehicles, as the fuel is subsidised due to its extensive use in the agricultural and transportation sector. The Supreme Court said the NCT Government shall install its own CCTV cameras at nine entry points and also organise surprise visits to oversee the collection of ECC and other necessary arrangements.

The ban on new diesel vehicle registration would last until March 31, according to local media reports. However, it did prohibit trucks from passing through the city to reach other states, while trucks that were more than 10 years old are banned from New Delhi altogether.

A 100 percent increase in the surcharge would imply that light commercial vehicles with two axles will be required to pay Rs. 1,400 to enter Delhi and commercial vehicles with three and four axles will have to pay Rs. 2,600 for each trip for entering Delhi.

During the three-hour-long hearing yesterday, the Supreme Court bench indicated support to the odd-even formula proposed by the Delhi government to tackle growing air pollution in the national capital, which is now being described as “a gas chamber”. The orders will come into effect immediately as the SC did not fix any date for implementation of its order.

The court also asked cab aggregators like Ola and Uber to convert their entire fleet into CNG mode latest by March 1.

While preventing the Delhi Government and local authorities from burning solid waste to prevent harm caused to environment, it set a deadline of April 1, 2016, for the Arvind Kejriwal Government to purchase vacuum cleaning vehicles for cleaning dust from roads and pavements.