More troubles ahead for diesel cars in Delhi

SC is set to pass an order to curb registration of cars over 2,000cc capacity, cancel license for 15-year-old ones, and mandate higher emission norms

More trouble is on the way for diesel vehicles in the capital city as the Supreme Court is scheduled to pass an order tomorrow that may restrict registration of diesel cars with engine capacity of over 2,000cc, cancel license for 15-year-old vehicles and mandate higher emission norms. The environment compensation charges on commercial vehicles entering the capital to cut distance while going to other states may be doubled.

Meanwhile, the fate of over 6,000 unsold diesel cars in Delhi remains uncertain with the National Green Tribunal deciding to wait for the Supreme Court, which is also hearing a similar matter tomorrow. Unlike the NGT order that imposed a blanket ban on registration of diesel cars, the Supreme Court has discussed banning only vehicles with engine capacity of over 2,000cc. These will include sports utility vehicles from Mahindra & Mahindra such as Scorpio and XUV 500, Tata Safari, sedans like Hyundai Sonata and Toyota Camry, and some of the luxury cars from Mercedes, Audi, BMW, Jaguar and Volvo. One of every three personal vehicle in Delhi is estimated to be fuelled by diesel, a more polluting fuel than petrol.

Advocate Harish Salve, who is assisting the apex court as amicus curiae in the pollution case told Business Standard that the problem will only end when pollution ends. "Till that happens, there are bound to be a few martyrs towards this cause".

The industry is visibly unhappy. "The cleanest vehicles compliant with BSIV are being questioned while older vehicles with BS I and II norms are allowed to ply. This is happening after the industry invested money in upgrading to manufacture BSIV vehicles", said an official at the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). Banning BSIV compliant vehicles will not have any impact on Delhi's air quality, Siam said last week.

The NGT today also issued notices to all stakeholders including Union Ministries of Road Transport, Environment and Heavy Industries as well as Delhi government. It sought a plan of action from the governments tomorrow. Delhi government has decided to allow odd and even numbered private cars on its roads on alternate days for a fortnight from January in an effort to address the depreciating quality of air.

The NGT had on 11 December ordered an interim ban on registration of diesel-run vehicles in Delhi as well as renewal of registration of diesel vehicles more than 10 years old. The ban is effective till January 6. Dealers, however, have sought modification of the order so that they can sell 2015 stocks that they may find difficult to sell once the year ends.

Ashok Sachdev, a functionary of the Automobile Traders Association Delhi argued before the NGT that the new diesel vehicles being sold in Delhi are compliant with Bharat Stage IV norms and are significantly smaller polluter than the older Euro I and Euro II vehicles do. He blamed the older vehicles that are still plying the roads as a big culprit. The association has also asked for an advancement of dates set for higher emission norms. The union government has recently advanced the implementation of BS V and VI norms by three years to 2019 and 2021, respectively.