[TusharK]

The government of Delhi could ban around 1 million diesel vehicles, including private cars, if air pollution levels cross the AQI of 450.



The government would activate the fourth and final stage of restrictions if the AQI is projected to rise above 450. This is part of the state's Graded Response Action Plan to curb air pollution.

According to government data, there are 9,42,447 diesel vehicles in Delhi alone. Out of these, only 27,860 vehicles comply with BS6 emission norms. In total, there are around 10 million registered vehicles in the state, including 1.12 million BS6 vehicles.

As part of the third stage of curbs under the Graded Response Action Plan, NCR states can ban the use of BS3 petrol and BS4 diesel cars. These measures could be activated if the AQI is projected to cross 400.

Source: Hindustan Times

Link to Team-BHP News

[Turbanator]

There was a proposal to ban trucks starting from September/ October, if I recollect. That alone should be able to help lower the pollution in my opinion. Before restricting private vehicles, they should stop the BS4 commercial Diesel engine vehicles. If everything fails, they can try doing the private ones too, but the results should be shared with everyone.

Such owners of BS4 Diesel vehicles should be compensated by way of lower RTO on the new purchases.

[sunnsood]

BS4 diesel cars were sold till March 2020..i really don't know what these people are smoking these days

[vellatechie]

Maybe instead of just banning, the government can give additional incentive to people with diesel cars who end up buying electric vehicles?

Also, Delhi hasn't procured DTC buses since 2010 CWG and total fleet size is down by 50%. Govt should not gut the public transport while putting all the blame on private vehicle owners for this mess.

[itsmeparvathy9]

Hope they don't do the same, as already diesel vehicles only have 10-year registration validity in Delhi, even though other states have 15-years, now suddenly banning all BS3 and BS4 Vehicles is too hard on the people.
If they really wanted to curb pollution, they should have thought about gradually phasing out diesel vehicles long ago. A sudden ban is no answer to any problem.

[Dry Ice]

Ah, the whack-a-mole strategy!

A counter point raised by a resident as mentioned in the article.

No doubt stringent measures must be taken in Delhi-NCR during severe and severe+ AQI situations. But seems the commission itself does not have any trust on the pollution under control (PUC) test certificates being issued in Delhi NCR. If the PUC certificates can’t be relied on, why are people forced to stand in long queues at regular intervals to get a PUC done? If PUC can’t be trusted, why is the government making huge collections every year from crores of vehicles? Instead of putting up a ban or restriction on vehicles, can’t they make the PUC tests more trustworthy,” said BS Vohra, president of east Delhi RWAs joint front.

[shankar.balan]

I dreaded this.

But it is typical. Draconian, ill conceived, ill thought through, whimsical, poorly executed, politically motivated and punitive to the wrong people.

These negatives sum this up in toto.

Just by issuing fiats of this kind isnt going to solve the problem long term at all.

First let them get the transport and commercial vehicles and diesel gensets and all to comply. Next let them enforce proper industrial zoning. Next let them ban this stubble burning and garbage burning and similar. In the wintertime let them ban all the polluting fires lit by the poor (but like they give free water and free power let them also give free housing and heating to the really economically backward people).

Let them completely ban all ministerial and bureaucratic convoys and cavalcades. Let them give us proper infrastructure and clean roads so that the traffic jams and snarls are avoided, thus leading to more efficient fuel burn and less pollution. Let them implement and strictly enforce MOT/ RTO check and inspection on pollution. Well maintained Private cars will pass this. Anyone who wants to keep their older cars on the road needs to pass this.

This will be a far more environmentally friendly and tax payer friendly and economical policy to adopt. After all let them appreciate that the tax payer who buys a car does so AFTER paying income taxes. And he/ she still has to pay more taxes from that tax deducted remaining income, when buying or consuming anything at all.

Truly, for an honest Taxpayer, living here in India and submitting to these whimsical and draconian strictures and rules, probably shows up as the worst possible ROI in the whole wide world.

There is absolutely Zero accountability on the part of the elected representatives to the electorate who elected them. There really ought to be- just like there is in the Corporate World - accountability to the shareholders!

[NH08]

Till two years back (March 2020), Delhi Government was providing DTC buses to schools for transporting students. Now, it has refused to provide buses for lakhs of students. The result is that thousands of people are now forced to use their private vehicles to ferry their children. Of course some of them are using vans, but even these are not sufficient. Now, I need to take my car and make two rounds every day to the school. This has unnecessarily increased the vehicle traffic.

The government says that it does not have sufficient number of buses. How can you have that when you believe in 'free lunches'. And then the only solution policy makers love to stick to is 'ban this, ban that'.

Why only diesel, ban petrol also. AQI will be greener.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by TusharK

The government of Delhi could ban around 1 million diesel vehicles, including private cars, if air pollution levels cross the AQI of 450.

Now that the same party rules both Delhi & Punjab I wonder what they will do to curb stuble burning in the fields of Punjab & Haryana that blows an ill wind into Delhi each winter in November? Or if they don't intend to do much whom will they blame!!

A very large part of Delhi's pollution over the first 50 to 100 feet from the ground up in my observation comes from construction activities, road digging and leaving dug up pavements covered with flattened earth instead of paving it. Of course there is the fine & super fine dust that blows in from Rajasthan too which you find on your fans if you live on the 20th floor. But the Govt can't seem to think beyond cars and trucks.

[aaggoswami]

Guess this was expected. The government wants revenue for sale of new vehicles, NCR is biggest car market in India, lets target diesel cars ! Next in line, petrol cars I think. One shot after another, but who cares if the fuel quality is bad ? Ah, did we hear that petrol will be mixed with ethanol ? Owning a car is a crime it seems : huge money to be paid while purchasing a car, then for fuel which is main revenue for government and is still not de-regulated.

What government needs to do is push for EV technology in two-wheelers, three-wheelers that are used for last mile connectivity and in LCV, HCV. And then monitor the pollution from industries rather than just hit diesel car owners. How many DG sets in NCR ? And do they have SCR ? Globally large ships contribute a lot to emissions and they usually run on cheapest fuel. Nobody is paying attention to it but all over the EV is Green stuff is on. Hybrids are the way forward in NCR, Toyota-Maruti are coming up with proper hybrid crossover at the right time. May be, the positive outcome from this would be Honda surviving on City hybrid for while before they finally pack up.

[Gypsian]

I think there must be a thorough study before the government hastily arrives at decisions. Vehicle owners will put to deplorable state if decisions such as the above are taken. Ofcourse a macro study of the situation leads to such decisions but individual perspectives must be considered. For instance a small time commercial driver would have purchased his small fleet by mortgaging or pledging for loans etc. How small families suffer is a major cause of concern.
Ofcourse its onerous for the government to strike balance between the environment and livelihood. Pains to see small time fleet owners suffer.

[KI07]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

There was a proposal to ban trucks starting from September/ October, if I recollect. That alone should be able to help lower the pollution in my opinion. Before restricting private vehicles, they should stop the BS4 commercial Diesel engine vehicles. If everything fails, they can try doing the private ones too, but the results should be shared with everyone.

Such owners of BS4 Diesel vehicles should be compensated by way of lower RTO on the new purchases.

If they do this to the commercial vehicles, this would affect the transportation costs ALL OVER INDIA.
And this will not be good for the economy.

[yash1998]

This move may be a push towards EV from the Delhi government (though they don't have the necessary EV support infrastructure). What remains to be seen is will the government acknowledge the serious pollutant causes after possibly banning diesel vehicles or will they forever keep targeting vehicles only? It's pre BS4 now, will be pre BS xx later.

[db_cooper]

Originally Posted by sunnsood

BS4 diesel cars were sold till March 2020..i really don't know what these people are smoking these days

Maybe the Delhi smoke is fogging up their minds. Or there is some pressure from manufacturers to push policies that'll benefit them in the long term.

[Singh101]

-Stop stubble burning? ✖

-Stop garbage burning? ✖

-Clean up the river? ✖

-Regulate industrial emissions and waste? ✖

-Better city planning, ease congestion? ✖

-Streamlined, efficient public transport? ✖

-Enforce proper PUC checks? ✖

-Increase green cover? ✖

-Ban cars? EUREKA!!

We're governed by apathetic, despotic morons with no more than three working braincells between them all, only really scheming to stay in power and amass personal wealth while they still can.