Diesel Vehicle Ban might extend to 11 cities, Says NGT

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) is planning to expand its ban on sales of large Diesel powered cars in 11 more cities. Currently, vehicles having diesel engines of more than 2-litre capacity cannot be registered in the National Capital Region, following Supreme Court's order of December 2015. A similar ban is being considered in 11 more cities across India.

Though there has been no official announcement yet, media reports suggest that the new ban list will include metro cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad. Recently, NGT put a similar ban in some major cities of Kerala, though it was later stayed by the state high court.

Before a final decision is made, NGT wants the Central Pollution Control Board to provide city-wise comprehensively detailed data about car density, pollution area, population density and pollution levels. This will help the Tribunal to judge whether or not such a ban will benefit the lifestyle of residents of the city, by significantly reducing pollution levels.

Meanwhile, the auto industry has made it apparent that such a wide ban on diesel vehicles will negatively affect huge investments made by several automakers. Moreover, cutting down sales of diesel vehicles will lead to lower production levels, thus increasing the chances of job losses.

Source: ET Auto