Proposed ban on non-CNG private vehicles will bring Delhi and suburbs to standstill, say residents

According to Delhi residents, the proposed ban on non-CNG private vehicles is not feasible given the lack of public transport options and poor last-mile connectivity from Metro stations.

Delhi residents and commuters from the National Captial Region are worried by the proposal to ban non-CNG vehicles as an emergency measure to check pollution levels. Calling the proposal “impractical” and “non-feasible”, they said if implemented, it would bring the national capital and its suburbs to a standstill.

The proposed ban on non-CNG private vehicles in Delhi is not feasible given the lack of public transport options and poor last-mile connectivity from Metro stations, say many residents of the city. (HT File Photo)

The SC-appointed Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) has proposed a complete ban on non-CNG private vehicles in the wake of deteriorating air quality in the region.

According to residents, the proposed ban is not feasible given the lack of public transport options and poor last-mile connectivity from Metro stations.

B S Vohra, president, federation of east Delhi RWAs, said the city would come to a standstill if all non-CNG vehicles are banned.

“How will people commute to work when buses are fewer than needed and the Delhi Metro is already overcrowded? It is best that the government declares a state holiday if such a measure is imposed and it has to be successful,” Vohra said.

Also, commuters said during winter, the streets are mostly deserted in the evenings and, hence, it is unsafe for women who work late hours.

Isha Malhotra, who travels from Greater Noida to Delhi every day for work, said she has odd working hours and is dependent on her vehicle to return home.

“I usually finish work by 9pm. In the absence of a well-connected mode of transport; it would be impossible for me to return home late night. In the day, I can take the Metro, but there is no last-mile connectivity available during late hours from the Metro station,” she said.

Juhi Kataria, a teacher, said the proposal should be implemented only after the state governments have strengthened the public transport system.

“The move will not only trouble Delhi residents but also lakhs of people residing in the NCR, who heavily rely on their own vehicles,” she said.

Another resident, Ravindra Kumar, who commutes from south Delhi’s Govindpuri to his workplace in north Delhi, said, “You can’t make Delhi roads car-free on the lines of Paris and Beijing when we have a crippled public transport system.”