Ban diesel vehicles in NCR: Supreme Court panel head

Expressing concern over rising pollution levels in the National Capital Region (NCR), Environmental Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) chairman Bhure Lal on Thursday said about 75 % of public transport vehicles had outlived their lives and their permits should not be renewed. HT reports.

Expressing concern over rising pollution levels in the National Capital Region (NCR), Environmental Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) chairman Bhure Lal on Thursday said about 75% of public transport vehicles had outlived their lives and their permits should not be renewed.

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The EPCA has been appointed by the Supreme Court to monitor pollution levels. At a meeting held in Noida on Thursday, he told the district magistrates and transport and pollution control board officials from Gautam Budh Nagar, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Baghpat and Bulandshahr to ban diesel vehicles in their respective areas. He also told them to check pollution caused by captive power plants.

Lal also directed the transport departments to convert all diesel buses to CNG or move these buses out of the NCR region.

The level of pollution is on the rise in NCR areas such as Gurgaon, Noida, Ghaziabad and Faridabad due to rampant use of diesel vehicles and polluting industries. Officials in Noida, however, claimed only CNG auto-rickshaws and tempos run in the city. Besides, 250 roadways and 300 DTC buses operate and they all run on CNG. “The order may not have much effect in Noida. There are 3,050 three-seater auto-rickshaws and 315 eight-seater tempos registered with the regional transport office in the city,” said an official.

“Since January 1, 2009, registration of three-seater auto-rickshaws had been stopped. Registration of diesel auto-rickshaws was stopped in January 1, 2007. Only CNG autos were registered,” said an official.

The Uttar Pradesh State Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) says 70% pollution is caused by vehicles, 20 per cent by industries and 10 per cent by households.

Paras Nath, UPPCB’s regional officer in Gautam Budh Nagar, said there were quite a few CNG stations in Noida and Greater Noida and more stations were planned.

But the situation is different in places like Bulandshahr and Baghpat. Officers from there said that there was not a single CNG station in their districts. “Industries have to use generators due to inadequate power supply. Every day, 50 per cent production is facilitated by generators,” said PP Sharma, general secretary of the Association of Greater Noida Industries.

“Many industrial units are using CNG for power generation,” said Dinesh Jain of Noida Management Association.