All 10-year-old diesel vehicles banned in Delhi

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Tuesday banned all 10-year-old diesel vehicles from plying on Delhi roads.

The Delhi government welcomed the order but sought to highlight the larger issue of pollution caused by trucks and buses that enter into and cross the national capital at night.

A bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar passed the order and asked all the transport authorities concerned to give details of all such vehicles.

The tribunal also asked the agencies concerned to ensure that all entry points into the city have units to check pollution levels, weight and age of vehicle by April 9, lawyer Balendu Shekhar, who represented East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) in the case, told IANS.

An official of the Delhi government meanwhile raised the issue of the trucks and buses that enter the national capital every night and are "the main cause behind rising pollution levels".

The official called for the central government to ensure that such pollution vehicles do not enter Delhi.

Equally harmful are the old vehicles registered in Delhi, he said, adding that garbage burning in the open and construction dust also feed the scourge of pollution in the national capital.

Meanwhile, the EDMC lawyer said the bench, giving example of other countries across the globe, said that as they are in the process of prohibiting or have prohibited diesel vehicles by imposing very heavy taxes, it also must take measures to ensure good air quality for residents in and around Delhi.

The bench also passed strict orders against any illegal construction activity in and around Delhi.

The tribunal had, late last year, banned petrol vehicles over 15 years old in the national capital.