SC on Diesel in Delhi

The Supreme Court banned the registration of diesel-powered private vehicles of two litres and more for three months in Delhi besides halting the entry of trucks made before 2005 into the city. As for goods vehicles made since then, the court strengthened barriers to their entry into the Capital as part of efforts aimed at reducing the level of airborne impurities in one of the world's most polluted cities. The court also wants all city taxis to run on compressed natural gas (CNG) from April 1 next year.
M&M, one of the automakers most affected by the order, dropped 5.4% on BSE.
On a conference call, the company said it's working toward re-engineering existing engines to conform to the two-litre limit and will push for more petrol engines. Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra tweeted: “Even if we believe the decision on diesel vehicles isn't optimal, we'll honour it and develop vehicles that comply with their stipulations. At the core of Mahindra's DNA is the unshakeable belief that `When the going gets tough, Mahindra gets going.' We thrive on challenges & rise above them.“
The ban on two-litre private diesel vehicles in the National Capital Region will run from January 1 to March 31, which is when cleaner diesel of Euro IV standard is expected to become available in NCR.While this implies that the ban may be temporary, the court reiterated its view on such vehicles.
The pollution issue in Delhi needs to be examined in a holistic manner, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) said in a release.
The manufacturers' lobby group also said cars were not a major polluter. The Supreme Court also doubled the environment compensatory cess (ECC) on loaded trucks to curb the entry of goods vehicles that use Delhi as a transit hub. The ECC is Rs.700 for vehicles of two axles and Rs.1,300 for those of three axles and above.
Trucks will be checked at the entry points of Kundli on National Highway-1 and Rajokri on NH-8 and diverted to alternate routes bypassing Delhi. These two border posts account for a large chunk of the trucks entering the city, estimated at around 30,000 daily .
The court clarification came amid complaints that trucks carrying supplies bound for other parts of the country were still entering the city after paying the ECC on the pretext that these were meant for Delhi.
The court also directed all taxis including aggregators such as Ola and Uber plying in the NCR to shift to CNG by March 31, 2016. The court also asked the authorities to ensure the use of curtains to prevent dust being spewed into the atmosphere from construction sites and masks for Delhi's traffic police, who're exposed to the city's pollution for prolonged periods everyday.
The court hinted at a one-time ECC on the registration of personal cars running on diesel engines below two litres.Roads in the city will need to be paved and vacuum cleaned to check dust levels by April 1, 2016, it said.
The court also asked civic authorities not to burn solid waste and to arrange for proper disposal in a scientific manner. The court will take the case up again on January 5, 2016, for further hearings to assess the impact of its orders passed with the consent of both the central and Delhi governments on the city's pollution levels.