Delhi government is thinking about going back to the Supreme Court to review its ban on old petrol and diesel vehicles. Officials are studying how the rule is affecting people and pollution levels before making a final decision.
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NEW DELHI: The Delhi government is thinking about going to the Supreme Court again to ask for a change in its decision to ban petrol vehicles older than 15 years and diesel vehicles older than 10 years.
On Thursday, senior officials shared that the Transport and Environment departments have been told to do a deep study of how this policy is working on the ground and what problems or improvements it is creating.
These two departments have been asked to carefully check how well the current End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) policy is working. They are also looking at what difficulties people and officers are facing in following the rules, what the general public and other groups think about it, and what effect it has had on the air quality of Delhi so far.
“The government may file a review petition in the top court based on the findings and reports submitted by both departments,”
-a Delhi government official told media.
Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa has confirmed that this work is in progress and both departments are independently collecting information to see the real impact of this rule.
“The Environment and Transport departments are studying the guidelines, their impact on the public, and the benefits and consequences related to air quality,”
-said Mr Sirsa.
“Once both reports are submitted, the government will take a final decision on whether to approach the court.”
This step by the Delhi government comes just a few weeks after a strong crackdown began again in July, where old petrol and diesel vehicles were stopped from getting fuel. The authorities also started strict action against these vehicles.
But soon, the campaign was paused because people were very upset and government teams found many “critical operational and infrastructural challenges.”
Another reason for the pause was a letter written by Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena to Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. In the letter, he said the 2018 Supreme Court decision needed to be reviewed because it was unfair that vehicles considered unfit in Delhi could still be legally used in other places.
“How can a vehicle banned as unfit in Delhi run lawfully in other cities? This is against equal treatment”
-Mr Saxena wrote.
He also said there should be one single rule for the whole National Capital Region (NCR) so that everyone is treated equally. He advised that the current rules based only on the vehicle’s age should be rechecked to make sure they are proportionate, fair, and not arbitrary.
Officials added that the reports being prepared will also explain all the steps taken in the last five months to reduce pollution and whether those steps helped improve the air quality or not.
Earlier, Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa had written a letter to the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) where he argued that Delhi’s current roads, transport systems, and infrastructure are not ready for such a big ban. He said the rule is hurting poor people the most, especially those who use old two-wheelers or run small businesses with their old vehicles.
The final reports by the departments are expected in the next few weeks. After receiving them, the Delhi Cabinet will decide whether or not they should file a review petition in the Supreme Court.
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