Deregister diesel vehicles over 10 years old in Delhi: NGT

The National Green Tribunal asked Delhi traffic authorities on Monday to start de-registering all diesel vehicles that are more than 10 years old following complaints that a lack of implementation of judicial orders was hurting the Capital’s fight against pollution.

The green court also ordered the Delhi regional transport office (RTO) to give the city traffic police a list of vehicles that have to be deregistered.

This is the latest step in a raft of judicial measures to improve the city’s air that is among the worst in the world. Earlier in the year, the Supreme Court banned the registration of large diesel vehicles and ordered all diesel taxis to convert to CNG.

Last April, the NGT banned all diesel vehicles



older than 10 years from the city. In 2014, the green court said all – diesel and petrol -- vehicles more than 15 years old won’t be permitted to run on city roads.

But despite the orders, older cars continued to ply on Delhi’s roads with the city government saying it didn’t have the jurisdiction to ban old vehicles.

Such cars are more harmful for the environment as they have primitive pollution-control systems installed and emit more harmful gases than their newer variants. Vehicular exhaust comprises a big chunk of the air pollution that chokes Delhi.

Last week, the NGT asked the Delhi government to submit an action-taken report on the ban orders and give data on the number of cars impounded.