The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered a ban on all diesel vehicles older than 10 years in the Delhi-NCR region. The move, which is taken to reduce the alarming levels of pollution in the region, comes barely a fortnight after the Supreme Court said it is likely to lift the diesel ban in Delhi against a one time-cess.
Also read: Supreme Court likely to lift diesel ban for a one-time cess
During April last year, the tribunal placed a similar ban but it could not be stringently enforced as only the RTO had the authority to ban old vehicles. Taking a cue from this matter, the tribunal ordered the RTO to cancel the registration of diesel powered vehicles older than 10 years this time. A public notice would have to be issued regarding the cancellation of the registration and a list of such vehicles should be sent to the traffic authorities.
Also read: Supreme Court’s diesel ban affects Toyota India, company to reconsider future investments
The move is likely to witness a drop in the sale of diesel vehicles with a number of people opting for petrol vehicles as the latter is believed to be less polluting when compared to diesel vehicles. Another ban that has hit diesel powered vehicles would be a SC ban that forbids the registration of new diesel vehicles with a displacement of 2000cc or more. The said ban affected manufacturers such as Toyota and Mercedes Benz with the former reconsidering its future investments in the country.
With inputs from Reuters