The AAP government today told the Delhi High Court that from tomorrow CNG kit manufacturers and suppliers in the city can get themselves registered online with the transport department, enabling them to fit CNG kits in the 'in-use' vehicles.
The submission was made before Justice Manmohan after he rapped the government for the delay in the process of registration of CNG kit distributors, saying lack of such kits was "adding to rise in air pollution" in the city.
"This court had issued directions. Still the government (Delhi) has not yet made functional its CNG module/software of NIC, where the manufacturers, importers and distributors are to register themselves for fitting authorised CNG kits.
"You say that the file in this regard has not yet been cleared. How can a minister or an officer sit on a file for 20-25 days once this court has issued a direction," the judge said.
It asked the counsel for the Delhi government's transport department whether "this was the way the authorities function?"
"They take the file to their home and keep it in their pockets and don't even think that due to this, lots of people are facing hardship?" it said.
"You talk of CNG but do not allow them (manufacturers) to fit it in the vehicles," the court said, adding, "Later you will say that because of diesel vehicle there is rise in air pollution."
Sensing the mood of the judge, the transport department's lawyer Sanjay Ghose informed the court that the minister (Satyender Jain) has taken a view that the "software module developed by the NIC shall be fully functional/operational from tomorrow onwards".
Taking note of the submission, the court disposed of a plea by a society of certified CNG kit manufacturers and suppliers, represented by advocate Kapil Sankhla, which had sought setting aside of the government's decision allowing fitting of CNG kits in 'in-use' vehicles only when the original vehicle manufacturer certified it to be genuine.
The Society for Alternate Fuel and Environment (SAFE) had
said its software was simple to use and it was willing to give it to the government.
The software was developed so that requisite details pertaining to CNG kits to be fitted in new/in-use vehicles are provided by the manufacturers and retrofitment centres in order to curb the malpractice of installing sub-standard and defective CNG kits.
On this, the court told the government to ask National Informatics Centre (NIC) to develop in 20 days' time an online software to address the problem of spurious CNG kits in the national capital.
SAFE had argued that its members were being affected by the government's decision as the delay in rolling out of the software was affecting their business.
During the hearing today the transport department has also told the court that they have directed MLOs (Motor Licencing Officers) to make requisite endorsement "CNG Re-fit" in the case of in-use vehicles in respect of those manufacturers, importers, distributors and retrofitment centres of CNG kits who have furnished their details to the transport department NIC's software module.
