Truckers' body moves NGT against ban on 10-yr-old vehicles

A Delhi-based truckers' body today moved the National Green Tribunal against the 10-year-old ban on diesel vehicles, seeking directions that fitness and not age should be the only criterion for pulling out the polluting vehicles from the National Capital Region.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar, after a brief hearing, impleaded the truckers' body in the case and posted the matter for hearing on October 7.
The petition filed by Delhi Motor Truck Owners Union, through advocate Tariq Adeeb, contended it has over 200 members comprising small and medium transporters whose vehicles were mostly small trucks involved in waste collection, transportation of vegetables, fruits and daily goods.

"The ban will directly affect the small and medium transporters who have one or two diesel vehicles which are bought on loan and repayment is still pending," the petition said.
The truckers' body has sought modification of the ban order on the ground that no studies were conducted to check emission levels of vehicles from different age-groups and the high air pollution was mainly due to the increasing number of vehicles on Delhi's roads.
"Instead of putting a check on manufacturing of a large number of vehicles every year by the automobile companies, the big fish involved in the manufacturing remained untouched and small and medium transporters are being made a scapegoat," the truckers' body said.

Earlier, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, had also said that most countries adopt fitness tests, including emission checks, of vehicle as a criterion for curbing pollution and not the age of the vehicle.

The Tribunal on August 12 had declined to modify its order banning plying of diesel vehicles which are over 10 years old in Delhi-NCR.
The green panel, however, had said it was for the Delhi government and concerned authorities to decide on the issue of challaning such vehicles or not.
Noting that diesel is the prime source of air pollution in Delhi, the tribunal on April 7 had held that all diesel vehicles which are more than 10 years old will not be permitted to ply in Delhi-NCR.

On November 26, 2014, it had banned plying of all diesel or petrol vehicles which were more than 15 years old.