After Delhi, now NCR demands de-registration of old diesel vehicles

A survey has revealed that residents of neighbouring cities such as Noida and Ghaziabad are ready to welcome a similar ban on diesel vehicles that are over a decade old.

The move to ban old and polluting diesel vehicles in Delhi is gaining support from those living in satellite cities around the capital. A survey has revealed that residents of neighbouring cities such as Noida and Ghaziabad are ready to welcome a similar ban on diesel vehicles that are over a decade old.

The move to ban old and polluting diesel vehicles in Delhi is gaining support from those living in satellite cities around the capital. (Burhaan Kinu/HT File)

The survey suggests that people in Delhi-NCR support de-registration of old vehicles and that they believe the move must be implemented in adjoining cities of Delhi as well. Along with de-registration, people think there has to be a mechanism or process for disposal or scrapping of the seized vehicles, revealed the survey conducted by LocalCircles, an online citizen engagement forum.

In Delhi, 53% citizens supported de-registration if old vehicle disposal mechanism is enabled, while 20% supported it regardless of anything, 26% did not support it. Pollution will only come down in the NCR area if the ban is implemented across the NCR territory.

Since mid-November, the Delhi transport department and the traffic police have been impounding diesel vehicles that are 15 years and above. The capital has 1.91 lakh diesel vehicles that are 15 years and above and 21 sites have been identified to keep the impounded vehicles.

The support for de-registration of these vehicles is also there in Noida and Ghaziabad in UP. In Noida 55% citizens supported de-registration with the condition of disposal mechanism while 13 % supported it regardless of any condition, only 29 % opposed it. In Ghaziabad, 54 % supported gave it conditional support while 46 % supported it without any conditions.

“Pollution is not something that is locally generated. It is affecting one whole region which includes Delhi and its adjoining areas that fall in other states. There has to be a synchronized action on pollution by the governments of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and so on,” K Yatish Rajawat, chief strategy officer, of LocalCircles.