Govt agrees to farmers' demand of keeping tractors out of NGT list

Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Wednesday announced that the government has agreed to farmers' demand to keep tractors out of the list of banned vehicles by the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

The minister further clarified that tractors will be kept out of the list since these are equipment of agriculture. "NGT's order is that diesel vehicles more than 10 yrs old can't enter Delhi NCR. Farmers' demanded that their tractors are equipment of agriculture and should be kept out of vehicles' list. Government agreed. Centre will make efforts with the government (Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana) of the region," Shekhawat told ANI.

His statement comes after the Kisan Kranti Padyatra was called off on Wednesday morning. The padyatra started on September 23 by the Bharatiya Kisan Union in the national capital. The protesting farmers had even reached Kisan Ghat, the memorial of renowned farmer leader Chaudhary Charan Singh on late Tuesday night.

The green tribunal had on November 26, 2016, banned 10-year-old diesel vehicles in Delhi-NCR, saying "they are the prime source of air pollution in Delhi".