India’s leading court has ordered a temporary ban on the sale of large diesel vehicles in and around New Delhi and slapped a stiff levy on trucks entering the capital as it struggles with record pollution.
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Government of NCT of Delhi to take immediate steps for fix of pavements and make pavements wherever the same are missing and also to take immediate steps for procurement of the requisite vacuum cleaning vehicles for use on Delhi roads expeditiously but not later than April 1, 2016.
As pollution levels in Delhi have reached alarming levels in the past few weeks, the Delhi high court said the city resembled a “gas chamber”.
A bench of Chief Justice T.S. Thakur, Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice R. Banumathi said no commercial vehicle registered prior to 2005 will enter Delhi and all taxis will have to switch over to CNG by March 1, next year.
The court also barred thousands of diesel trucks which only enter the city every night en route to other parts of the country, in order to bypass toll roads around Delhi.
Driving licences of traffic violators in the national capital will be suspended for three months as Delhi Traffic Police is all set to implement Supreme Court-appointed committee’s recommendations. Carmakers such as Mahindra and Mercedes-Benz are the ones that are most affected by this ban since most of their diesel vehicles are above 2000cc.
Diesel vehicles are considered more polluting than petrol ones as they emit higher nitrogen oxide and particulate matter. This follows close on the heels of the order of the National Green Tribunal last week that banned the registration of all diesel cars till January 6.
The air quality index based on readings of PM2.5 – tiny, toxic particles that lead to respiratory diseases – was 258 as of 8 a.m.in the Indian capital and categorized as very unhealthy, according to the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi.
“Today, the Supreme Court has given some orders which we will study”.
Shares of automaker Mahindra & Mahindra – whose entire portfolio is diesel vehicles – fell sharply after the ruling and were still down 4.4 per cent at midday.
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“In light of this, the Supreme Court order banning private diesel passenger vehicles and SUVs of 2,000 cc engine capacity and above, is most unfortunate”, SIAM said in a statement. Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo announced earlier this year plans to bar diesel cars by 2020. This winter, Delhi has already experienced rapid increase in pollution – PM2.5 levels have remained three to four times the standards and on smoggy days, the level can go up to six to seven times the standards.
