SPG seeks green court’s nod to register diesel vehicles

NEW DELHI: The Special Protection Group (SPG) on Friday requested the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to allow registration of its diesel vehicles.

NEW DELHI: The Special Protection Group (SPG) on Friday requested the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to allow registration of its diesel vehicles.

HT Image

The SPG asked the court to direct the Delhi government’s transport department to register 28 diesel vehicles as it was discarding an equal number from its fleet.

The elite security force said lack of enough vehicles will affect its operational efficiency. The SPG guards VIPs.

The petition said the SPG had recently bought six diesel buses complying with BS-IV emission standards but it was not allowed to register them because of the green court’s 2015 order.

NGT chairperson Swatanter Kumar asked the applicants to submit details about the vehicle requirement in terms of the number and type by September 15.

The green court had banned the registration of new diesel vehicles as well as re-registration of vehicles older than 10 years.

“Considering the urgency and operational requirement, the transport department is being directed to allow registration of their vehicles. Since it is important to help the team do its duty under the Special Protection Group Act, 1988, their plea might be taken into consideration,” the bench said.

The SPG is allowed to maintain a fleet of 506 vehicles.

The bench said it is the SPG’s duty to provide security cover to VIPs and other senior officials.

The tribunal had in December last year ordered the government to cancel the registration of all diesel vehicles older than 10 years old from plying in the city in a bid to check pollution.

Later, the court had clarified that the deregistration of diesel vehicles from 15 to 10 years old would be carried out in a phased manner by the transport department.