5 months ago
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The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has told the Supreme Court that deficiency of pugnacious enactment by authorities and a apical tribunal bid let end-of-life vehicles to inactive ply successful the nationalist capital.
The Commission said implicit 63 lakh over-aged vehicles are utilized successful the capital, and lend to the aerial pollution.
The CAQM, represented by Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, submitted that its efforts to strictly guarantee that these end-of-life vehicles were taken disconnected the roads were thwarted by the deficiency of due coercive enactment coupled with the Supreme Court’s bid connected August 12, lifting restrictions connected them. The fig of vehicles impounded successful Delhi till June 2025 was 35,558 compared to 22,397 vehicles successful 2024.
“Towards controlling vehicular contamination caused by old/ end-of-life vehicles owing to overmuch inferior emanation standards, the Commission has taken up with the States acrophobic and GNCTD to strictly guarantee that petrol/ diesel vehicles much than 15/10 years aged bash not ply successful the NCR... Progress successful this regard, however, has been acold from satisfactory for immoderate of the NCR States and NCT of Delhi,” the CAQM submitted successful a presumption report.
The Commission said implicit 15 years person been completed for BS-III Standard vehicles whereas much than 20 years person been completed for BS-II Standard vehicles and BS-I vehicles person been astir for 24 years. It said these vehicles inactive tally connected the capital’s roads contempt their “higher polluting potential”.
“One of the criteria determining the fittingness of vehicles is its emissions. The emissions of immoderate conveyance are tested against its BS Standard category. Thus, an different acceptable conveyance would inactive beryllium emitting pollutants arsenic per its BS Standard. Since Delhi-NCR faces an bonzer situation, specially during the wintertime play owed to mediocre dispersal of pollutants connected relationship of unfavourable meteorological conditions, determination is simply a request to restrict plying of polluting vehicles based connected emanation standards successful Delhi-NCR,” the Commission study said.
It noted that astir 93% of the vehicles successful Delhi NCR were airy centrifugal vehicles and two-wheelers.
The Commission said it had directed connected June 3 that nary buses, different than CNG/ EV/ BS-VI Diesel, including those operating nether All India Tourist Permit and different work regimes, should beryllium permitted to participate Delhi from November 1, 2026. These restrictions would, however, not beryllium applicable to buses, registered successful Delhi.
The CAQM submitted that it had directed the Delhi and different NCR States to instruct centrifugal conveyance aggregators, transportation work providers and e-commerce entities to modulation from accepted diesel/ petrol vehicles to cleaner modes connected an urgent basis.
“Further, State governments successful NCR person been directed to signifier retired existing diesel auto-rickshaws from the full NCR by 2026 successful a staggered but time-bound manner,” the CAQM stated.
