Having doubled the ECC for the loaded commercial vehicles, the court said commercial vehicles “registered in 2005 or earlier shall not qualify for such entry” and asked state governments and union territories to ensure that vehicles bearing registration numbers of 2005 or earlier do not enter Delhi.
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The Supreme Court is also inclined to increase the Environment Compensatory Cess on vehicles entering into Delhi, India Today reported.
The court noted that its October 7 order imposing the ECC was meant to restrain non-Delhi bound vehicles from entering the national capital.
The automaker said it respects the spirit behind the ruling, but hopes that the Courts would look at empirical data before deciding whether to continue with the diesel vehicle ban in the capital.
The courts are pushing the authorities to act over New Delhi’s toxic air, ranked as the worst in the world in a World Health Organisation survey a year ago of over 1,600 cities.
It further held that its order will override the recent order passed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) which had put on hold registration of any diesel auto till January 6.
With Delhi earning the dubious distinction of the world’s most polluted city, several steps have been proposed by experts and the government to tackle the menace.
According to a study conducted by the Society of Indian Automotive Manufacturers, 37 per cent of all passenger vehicles sold in India until March 2015 were diesel variants and about 90 per cent of the SUVs or other utility vehicles sold previous year are also powered by diesel engines, mainly because the NOx-emitting fuel is cheaper than gasoline. “We would like to be governed by SC order”, a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar said while posting the matter for next hearing on December 18. For a day 1,400 diesel vehicles gets registered and 30 pct of these being strapped with engines of 2000 cc and above.
Less than two weeks ago, the city’s government announced that from January 1-15, private cars will be allowed on New Delhi’s roads only on alternate days, depending on whether their license plates end in an even or an odd number.
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The court ordered sales of all diesel vehicles with an engine capacity of more than 2,000cc to be halted for the next three months in the capital and nearby suburbs.
