Three months after the court banned the registration of new 2000 cc and above diesel vehicles in Delhi NCR, the Centre for Science and Environment told the top court that there has been a drop in peak pollution levels in the capital. (File)
There is no immediate respite for anyone who wants to buy a diesel SUV in the capital. The ban on registration of diesel vehicles above 2000 cc continues, the Supreme Court said today as it pulled up automobile manufacturers.
The top court said, "You are selling luxury cars. There is no medical advice that says you need SUVs. People who buy them do so knowing that it is a polluting vehicle. Why should you make lives of others miserable? Those who buy your cars won't mind paying more." This could possibly mean levying an environment compensation charge for diesel SUVs, something automobile manufacturers have been asked to submit a consolidated view on in time for the next hearing which will take place on a Saturday.
The court, though, has given diesel-run taxis another month to covert to CNG. Advocate for individual taxi owners, Vijay Sondhi said, "It is very difficult to fit CNG in diesel vehicles unlike in petrol vehicles. Taxi drivers have to spend about 1.2 to 1.5 lakh rupees on such conversions because they need to remove the diesel engine and refit a petrol engine compatible with CNG. The drivers don't make that kind of money to be able to pay these costs. Hence, we asked the Supreme Court for more time."
Three months after the court banned the registration of new 2000 cc and above diesel vehicles in Delhi NCR, the Centre for Science and Environment told the top court that there has been a drop in peak pollution levels in the capital.
The court has also allowed the Special Protection Group, the elite security unit that protects the Prime Minister and a few other VIPs, to buy 12 new diesel-run cars after paying a 30 per cent environment compensation charge, a move activists have welcomed.
Sunita Narain of the Centre for Science and Environment told NDTV, "The government has taken the lead to say we will be willing to pay the tax because we want diesel... In this case a petrol variant is not available as they need a very heavy vehicle. I think it's a good move and a positive statement from the government to clean (the) air of Delhi."