The National Green Tribunal on Monday agreed to hear a plea seeking > modification of its order which said that diesel-run vehicles will not be registered in Delhi in the wake of alarming pollution levels in the city.
“Let it come tomorrow,” a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar, which took the matter on mentioning, said.
Senior advocate Pinaki Mishra, appearing for Delhi-based car dealers, sought modification of the order on the ground that diesel cars which were manufactured in 2015 should be allowed to be sold as the existing stock would become obsolete by next year.
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“Existing stock will become obsolete. Nobody will buy a car of last year’s make,” Mishra said.
As an interim measure, the Tribunal had ordered that diesel-run vehicles will not be registered in Delhi and there will be no renewal of registration of such vehicles which are more than 10-year-old.
It had also directed Centre and state governments to consider not buying any diesel vehicles for their departments.
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The green panel had directed all the public authorities, Corporations, DDA, Police and other Public Department to prepare and submit an action plan for phasing out diesel vehicles, particularly the trucks being used by all these bodies by January 6, the next date of hearing.
On measures to prevent air pollution in government schools, it had directed Delhi government to submit a proposal for creating green belt, converting the ground by grass and installation of air filters in schools.
On April 7, the green panel had held that all diesel vehicles which are more than 10 years old would not be permitted to ply in Delhi—NCR.
Noting that diesel was the prime source of air pollution in Delhi, the Tribunal had said the situation was so alarming that people have been even advised to leave Delhi due to adverse effects on health.
The bench had in November last year banned all vehicles which were more than 15 years old and held that they would not be permitted to ply on the city roads.