NGT to hold meet to implement order of banning 15-year-old vehicles

NEW DELHI: In a path-breaking initiative,the National Green Tribunal on Friday directed holding of a meeting of stakeholders in its conference hall to devise modalities for implementation of its order banning plying of vehicles which are more than 15 years old on the city roads.

The Tribunal also made it clear that the ban order will equally apply to the buses owned and/or under contract with Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab and all other states whose buses are coming to Delhi from the destination of their respective states.

A bench, headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar, asked additional secretary, MoEF, additional secretary of Petroleum Ministry, CPCB chairman and secretaries of NCT Delhi directly concerned with the implementation of the order to attend the meeting on December 2.

"The Tribunal would, within the framework of the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010, take a consultative and deliberated approach with the stakeholders to resolve an issue of such wide magnitude and/or of greatest public welfare and is seriously effecting the environment...

"In the, meanwhile, we would require the authorities to submit their views to the Tribunal on the one hand and implement the directions contained in our order as well as the directions contained hereinafter without default and delay, on the other hand," the bench said.

The Tribunal also directed that CPCB, DPCC, secretary environment, NCT Delhi, including secretary of transport, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana shall ensure that agencies which have been engaged for the purposes of checking emissions from vehicles must act strictly in accordance with law.

Earlier, the Tribunal had held that all vehicles which were more than 15 years old would not be permitted to ply on the city roads.

It had directed that wherever such vehicles of this age are noticed, the concerned authorities shall take appropriate steps in accordance with law including seizure of the vehicles.

It hadfurther said that no person shall be permitted to burn plastic or any other material in the open.

The Tribunal had also held that in all the markets in Delhi,"it shall be ensured tarred roads for regular traffic are not permitted to be used for parking thus causing avoidable congestion of traffic".