“Regarding the pollution problem in Delhi, media, judiciary, all the governments and agencies, all have become active which is a good thing”. Delhi Police will come up with alternate routes for such commercial vehicles, the court said.
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Wednesday’s wide-ranging Supreme Court order, laying out a slew of measures to curb pollution in the national capital region of Delhi, focuses on diesel vehicles in particular. In the absence of adequate compensatory taxation on the sale of diesel-run cars, they will inevitably be preferred by consumers.
The Supreme Court has BANNED all diesel SUVs and luxury cars (those with engine capacity above 2000cc) till 31 March 2016.
The Delhi government has asserted that it has no powers to enhance the penalties on pollution as prescribed under the Motor Vehicles Act.
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.
Emissions from diesels has been linked with unsafe levels of pollution in European cities like London, Paris and Turin, but the blanket ban has already been described as an overreaction by government critcs.
Delhi’s air routinely worsens in the winter as the poor start lighting fires to stay warm and as cooler air and clouds trap pollutants.
It also directed that all taxis including those operating under aggregators like Ola and Uber in the NCT of Delhi, plying under city permits shall convert to CNG by March 1, 2016. Deliveries of cars, minivans and sport-utility vehicles nationwide rose 8.9 per cent to 1.8 million in the eight months through November.
“Banning diesel vehicles (which is great) will bring down Delhi’s pollution by hardly 5 per cent, whereas if we are able control garbage and waste burning, and stop the age-old diesel gen-sets, then we may be able to reduce Delhi’s air pollution by almost 50 per cent”, says Partha Bosu India head of Clean Air Asia, a Manila-based environmental body. The Organization does and recognizes the purchase of the Honourable Supreme Court wish these steps help clear Delhi atmosphere.
The World Health Organisation has designated Delhi as the world’s most polluted city, more so than Beijing, with particulate matter 2.5 levels in the atmosphere more than 10 times the recommended safety limit.
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Citing the study, it said vehicles are responsible for only 20 per cent of the pollution in Delhi, out of which only 14-15 per cent is attributable to passenger cars. Heavy air pollution caused by vehicles speaks volumes about the inadequate use of mass transportation as a means of commute.
