SC bar on diesel SUVs, big cars in Delhi

Chief Justice T.S. Thakur ordered the ban on the registration of new diesel vehicles with engine capacities of over 2 litres, typical of SUVs, jeeps and large cars made by BMW, Toyota and other manufacturers.

The court halted the registration of diesel cars and sport utility vehicles with an engine capacity of 2,000 cubic centimeters or more until March 31 in the region of the capital.

Further, the apex court ordered that all taxis in Delhi will have to be converted to CNG by March 31 next year. The green court also said that the government should stop buying diesel cars in 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”.

Emissions factor of the Automotive Research Association of India shows that diesel cars emit five times more particulate matter and seven times more total air toxins compared to petrol cars, the CSE said. The bench also announced that vehicles that had registrations before 2005 will not be permitted entry into the city.

The bench said: “We had by our order dated 9th October issued certain directions imposing environment compensation surcharge aimed at mitigating the hardship which people living in Delhi undergo having regard to the high of pollution in the city that has earned it the dubious reputation of being the most polluted city in the world”. The court said its order overrides all the other orders passed by other forums, including the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

Delhi’s air routinely worsens in the winter as residents start lighting fires to stay warm and as cooler air and clouds trap pollutants. Here are the main features of the Supreme court order that you need to know.

In a separate ruling this week, the country’s environment court slapped a ban on new registration of all diesel vehicles for almost four weeks in New Delhi, although it was unclear if authorities were carrying out the order.

The court directed the Delhi government to take steps to procure vacuum cleaning vehicles for use on Delhi roads by not later than April 1, 2016.