NEW DELHI: Delhi-based automobile dealers today pleaded before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to exempt diesel cars from the proposed ban from January 1 next year, saying it would lead to huge ‘financial’ loss to them.
The petition was jointly filed by four car dealers seeking modification in its order that asked the Delhi government not to register new diesel vehicles till January 6, the next date of hearing in the ongoing Delhi air pollution case, and also asked that 10-year-old vehicles should not be registered. Senior advocate Pinaki Mishra who represented car dealers before the Green bench said,
“The existing stock of diesel run vehicles is not allowed to be extinguished. If the current order persists, the vehicles which are manufactured in the past few months of 2015 will automatically become obsolete in 2016. Nobody will buy a car of the last year make.”
In a significant measure to curb air pollution, the NGT had issued an interim order last week that new diesel-run vehicles will not be registered in Delhi and there will be no renewal of registration of such vehicles which are more than 10-year-old.
The tribunal also asked the Centre and Delhi governments to consider not buying diesel vehicles. On April 7, the Green panel had held that all diesel vehicles which are more than 10 years old would not be permitted to ply in Delhi-NCR.
Meanwhile, the next hearing is scheduled for tomorrow. (AGENCIES)
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