[souravc]

If TOI is to be believed then, we are surely becoming a banana republic. Notable portion of the order which are really irksome IMO are highlighted as below :-

"The state is directed to pass necessary orders compelling owners of all vehicles having registration in Gujarat to use natural gas and, if necessary, even at higher prices within the shortest possible period, not exceeding one year from today for the protection of lives of citizens."

The judges suggested gas prices be cheaper for public vehicles and higher for privately owned vehicles. Also, fares of public transport should be fixed at reasonable rates so that the end benefit goes to the public.

So now the courts are doing the following :-

1. Screwing domestic budgets by adding to the inflation by compelling people to pay higher prices
2. Decide on public policy decisions such as pricing which is essentially the domain of the Executive rather than Judiciary
3. Tries to nudge forward a new subsidy regime
   Complete ridiculous !

Now for the conspiracy theory . Who is the monopoly provider of natural gas in Gujarat ? GSPC and its group of companies such as Gujarat Gas , GSPC Gas and Gujarat Petronet Ltd where Gujarat govt is the promoter . I am sure they would be loving this ruling - it would be interesting to note the govt's representation in this case !

[carfreak77]

Yet another absurd ruling by the High Court. We do not have the infrastructure at all for CNG. They is also the problem that an out of state car cannot drive through as many of you have mentioned above. What is more ridiculous is to expect all manufacturers to switch to CNG just for Gujarat? That is not going to be feasible and will not be profitable for manufacturers. If they are so concerned about pollution, they should look at the trucks and buses which emit clouds of thick black smoke every minute. They must deal with these trucks and buses first instead of chasing soft targets. Also, bumper to bumper traffic results in a lot of pollution. The roads and infrastructure should be improved as it will help reduce traffic congestion. The old taxis which look like they could fall apart any minute should be scrapped.

[anuragn]

Completely hilarious.
This is no doubt a case of judicial over reach. How can a court decide on a policy matter. The court can only direct a govt to ensure a healthy living environment for the public. Ordering on how to go about it cannot be the prerogative of the judiciary.
And then, do we have enough CNG available to meet the demand?
Also since is a compressed (liquified) gas stored under high pressure, its transportation & storage is much more difficult than a liquid fuel.
And what will happen to the fuel tanks in the cars: should these be removed from the cars as well to ensure that nobody runs a car on petrol/diesel even after conversion to CNG?

[arup.misra]

First a Banana Republic....now a Banana Court. Simply hilarious.

Apart from all the worthy pointers mentioned by friends, I'd sure like to understand how such a ridiculous order would make up for the lost revenue. This could perpetrate car owners to simply register their vehicles outside the state and run it in Gujarat.

Getting fuel wouldn't be problem as the diktat applies to 4-wheelers registered in Gujarat. Two wheelers would continue to get their fuel.

Isn't this judgment a potential perpetrator to tax evaders?

[rattandip]

This will be as ridiculous as “Garabi Hatao”. Never have such steps been implemented in the past not such monarchic steps would be implemented in future. And on top of it all, its TOI
My concerns
-Are there enough equipment manufactures available in Gujarat to produce CNG Kits?
-What will be a procedure of ensuring proper QA for the CNG kits, they are certainly not as safe as Petrol and Diesel.
-What’s the plan on getting the additional CNG pumps in the state?
-How is the state going to manage demand of extra CNG when they either ways sell it at over INR54 where as in Delhi its at around 38
-What about the new cars been manufactured, will they come with CNG fitment?
-How about the tourist vehicles coming in the city? Will they need to be on CNG?
-what about emergency services like Fire dept. , Police and Hospital vans, will they need to go to CNG, if no, then where will they get the supply of Petrol/Diesel

And I don’t consider myself a non-supporter of CNG since my own car has done over 1L KM on CNG now but blanket orders are simply stupid

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by arup.misra

First a Banana Republic....now a Banana Court. Simply hilarious. .....

Getting fuel wouldn't be problem as the diktat applies to 4-wheelers registered in Gujarat. Two wheelers would continue to get their fuel.

Thank God for that. I was quite looking forward to seeing two wheelers with absurdly large gas tanks! This is until the Hon Court decrees that all two wheelers must be electric powered.

[wilful]

The much maligned Times of India is not the only one to carry this report.
CNN-IBN also carries the same.
Convert all vehicles to CNG in a year: Gujarat HC - India - Gujarat - ibnlive

[INNOVATOR]

Originally Posted by AlphaKilo

+1 sir.

On the other hand, emission norms in Germany are much stricter than such idiotic CNG only rules, why cannot such a method be implemented, i.e. in the pollution certificate, start classifying vehicles based on carbon emissions, and only the ones in green will be allowed to enter the city/residential areas, the ones with yellow shall be allowed in the city but will pay more emission tax and the ones in red are not allowed in the city at all.

Such a scientific approach would make more sense than this sheer dumb approach of simply directing something.

You live in India, not Germany. Here you can get any color certificate as long as you have the greens in your wallet.

[sahakar]

I am so fast losing respect for judges and lawyers. Most of them are nothing but a bunch of corrupt idiotic retards with no iota of ethics or practical common sense.

I think we have unnecessarily raised the judges high on a pedestal. They are just another set of bureaucrats will less education. Heck even the bureaucrats have to pass the tough IAS exams. They folks just do Arts and then Law.

And we all know who does Arts in India. Except for a chunk of students who really are focused on Arts, its a stream for the low IQ types. At least that's the perceived thought in Bombay. Maybe its thought differently in the rest of the country. Sorry if I have slighted any Arts majors here. My rant is only for the lawyers and judges :-)

I think this country is going to the dumps with all the branches of power going nuts.

Anyway my rant is over.

Peace out.

Cheers

[Jignesh]

Hello Friends,

Rather than going into merits or demerits of the honourable High Court's judgement, let us first understand whether the Judgement by High Court will be practically implemented?

I am sure someone will file a case in Supreme Court against this judgement & until the Suprement Court's judgement then the current High Court judgement will be stated. Now, we all know tarikh pe tarikh pe tarikh (futures dates) in Indian Courts. Thus it will be years before SUpreme Court decided something. Even if Supreme Court decides something, there will be review petition & so on & so forth.

Anyways, personally I think the judgement though is in right direction, is practically impossible in implement in next one year.

Thanks,

[INNOVATOR]

When the govts cease to function (read going gets tough), the courts get going (read tough get going).
First it was shock, then surprise and finally the monumental absurdity that dawned on my when I saw this reported in Time Now channel.
While the executive is busy forming coordination committees to pacify bloated egos and integral parts of the country (Read Assam) are burning due to internal strife, the PM is busy justifying that Naxals have held the monsoon clouds to ransom and this is the reason for low growth and stumbling economy. The dyarchy at 10 Janpath is blissfully celebrating its latest feudal achievement of placing a mole in the highest office while Industry watches in horror as the reds march into the most successful auto industries.
In all this, a single judge decided enough was enaogh and this would not go on any more ... how can a khaki clad Anna be the sole claimant to the mantle of Mahatma? Shouldn't he, a card carrying member of the Indian Judiciary, be the one to save the planet. To h#ll with the country and certainly the tax-paying morons who ride in 4-wheeled chariots of sin, I want a Nobel for "saving the environment"!!!
Such bravado certainly puts the All American Hollywood movies to shame.
My sincere submission will be to
- completely nationalize all 4 wheelers - or anything that moves.
- Aadhar cards to be used as public transport passes for commute from point A - B
- Driving to be covered under MNREGA (forcible 100 days servitude as a driver of the newly nationalized assets)
- ELEVATE this judge to the PMO. He atleast has the gall to take some decisions.

Soniaji - He is your sole hope if you wish to stand a chance in 2014 - Just imagine: you will have a Nobel Laureate at your beck and call. These are different from the staid economists who barely can stand erect because of his rubberized back - and Rahul Baba will get a chance to vacation a wee bit more with his friend, Omar (Abdullah) while confirming that he is ready to take on positions of responsibility!!!

Disclaimer - I dont belong to BJP, CPI / M or any of the so called opposition outfits. I am just an ordinary citizen of this glorious land - who also happens to drive couple of the national assets and pollute the environment!

[TRANSAM]

this is seriously going to effect car sales, across the state. I reckon, especially the luxury ones as this absurd order, is going to deter several new buyers in the state in addition to the smaller cars and suv's.

I guess, the new ruling, will be objected to by several private vehicle owners in the Supreme Court, anytime soon.

[sgiitk]

@Jignesh; You forgot one stage in the legal process. As this is a single juge judgement there can also be a Revision Petition in the High Court prior to the SCI.

[tsk1979]

Once upon a time, India was ruled by a king called Mohammad big Tughlaq.
He ruled upon southern states, and Delhi was too far, since there was no North south Corridor then. So he decided, that if the capital city was in Deccan it would be easy as it would be equidistant from north and south.
Very good concept.
But he ordered entire city to move. Yes, he passed an order, that the entire city should move to a place in Deccan. Half the people died of thirst and hunger during journey, and the new capitol had to be abandoned because there was no water.

I dunno why, today I suddenly remembered him? Must be some news in the newspaper which triggered the memory I guess.

[vb-saan]

Without sounding disrespectful to the judiciary or the system, I feel sorry for the individuals who passed this ruling, thinking how detached they are from reality. I mean, even these individuals maybe travelling regularly by cars (that too probably some modern diesels). The funny part is, the news report say that even the petitioners were surprised with this ruling. Nice!

Forget private cars, this does not sound achievable even for the public transport system (conversion within a year).

Infact, I am not sure if CNG is actually the future for automobiles.