Delhi: NGT bans diesel vehicles older than 10 years with immediate effect

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued an order banning all diesel vehicles that are more than 10 years old in an attempt to curb pollution in Delhi, on 18 July. The ban has been implemented with immediate effect.

NGT has directed the RTO (Regional Transport Office) Delhi to begin de-registering all diesel vehicles which are more than ten years old following complaints that a lack of implementation of judicial orders was affecting the national capital's effort to fight pollution.

NGT has also asked the RTO to inform the police regarding these vehicles so that the police can look into it.

Ban on diesel vehicles is expected to be implemented by NGT in many other cities which are affected by high levels of pollution across the nation.

Trucks have been given relief for some time.

Last April, NGT banned all diesel vehicles in Delhi which were older than 10 years. In 2014, the green court said all - diesel and petrol -- vehicles older than 15 years won't be permitted to run on city roads. But despite the orders, the cars continued to run on the city's roads with the state government saying it didn't have the jurisdiction to ban old vehicles.

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.

In reply, the Delhi transport department said it had impounded around 3,000 cars in the past year but had released them later, reported Hindustan Times.

It said that according to the Motor Vehicles Act, only the RTO had the authority to de-register old vehicles.