NGT asks for status of diesel vehicles older than 10 years in Delhi-NCR

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked the Delhi Transport Department and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to file a report on a petition seeking direction for dealing with End of Life Vehicles (ELVs).

"To consider the above, it will be appropriate to require a factual and action taken report in the matter from Commissioner, Transport Department, Delhi, and DPCC jointly. The report may be furnished within one month," a bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said.

The tribunal was hearing a petition filed by Society for Alternative Fuel and Environment (SAFE) through counsels Kapil Sankhla and Meghna Sankhla.

Vehicles that cannot be operated are called ELVs.

The court also asked the petitioner to furnish a set of papers to the Commissioner, Transport Department, Delhi and DPCC and file affidavit of service within one week and listed the matter for further consideration on May 22.

The petitioner told the tribunal that diesel vehicles cannot be allowed to operate in Delhi after 10 years and are being disposed of and scrapped in Mayapuri industrial area causing an environmental hazard.

The NGT has already directed the closure of unlicensed and unregulated scrapping units operating in Mayapuri, but according to a media report, such units are operating clandestinely in the region.

The counsel for the petition also made a reference to the "Guidelines for Scrapping Motor Vehicles in Delhi" issued by the Transport Department, Government of Delhi dated August 24, 2018, for the scrapping of end of life motor vehicles.

The guidelines lay down the procedure and requirements for allotting licenses to scrapping units and the procedure for scrapping ELV vehicles.