NGT reserves judgment on plea to lift ban on old diesel vehicles

New Delhi, April 27 (IANS) The National Green Tribunal on Thursday reserved judgement on a plea seeking lifting of its ban on 10-year-old diesel vehicles as the Central government told it that no only diesel but CNG and petrol also causes environmental degradation.

Additional Solicitor General Pinky Anand told the green panel, headed by Justice Swatanter Kumar that according to a 2002 Central Road Research Institute report, the average age of cars plying in Delhi was between the age of 5-6 years anyway, so the 10-15 year old vehicles don't add to the pollution much.

However opposing the government's stand, the counsel appearing for Vardhaman Kaushik, who has filed the case against deteriorating air quality in Delhi NCR, also presented some reports that points out that diesel vehicles were primary contributors to air pollution.

"One new diesel car on the road is equivalent to 24 petrol cars and 84 CNG cars," said the counsel, quoting a study by the Central Pollution Control Board.

The NGT in November 2014 banned all ten-year-old diesel vehicles in Delhi, even as the Ministry of Heavy Industry opposed the move.

The ministry in January moved the Supreme Court against the decision and the matter was then forwarded to the green court.

The ministry informed the court that the diesel vehicles have higher fuel efficiency which leads to 10-15 per cent lower carbon dioxide emission compared to a petrol vehicle.

"There are various pollutants that cause air pollution from vehicles. Diesel may be inferior to petrol in some pollutants such as particulate matters and oxides of nitrogen but petrol is also inferior to diesel in some other pollutants," said Anand.

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