Saar: The same ruling was implemented earlier by the National Green Tribunal.

It is that time of the year again for Delhi and its surrounding areas when air toxicity goes several notches higher than what is considered as safe. To identify and phase out vehicles which run on outdated combustion technology, the Supreme Court of India has banned the usage of 10-year-old diesel and 15-year-old petrol vehicles in Delhi-NCR. This is the same ruling that was implemented earlier by the National Green Tribunal.

A list has been made that consists all those vehicles which are registered in and around the national capital and fall in either of abovementioned categories. The list will be uploaded on the official websites of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the transport department of NCR. Additionally, the CPCB has been ordered by the apex court to make a social media account which can be used by the citizens to complain about pollution.

Apart from banning vehicles which emit more harmful pollutants, the SC is also keeping an eye on the introduction of the cleaner grade of fuel across the country. Earlier this year, the Bharat Stage (BS) VI grade of fuel was introduced in the national capital region. That had little impact on the pollution levels as only a handful of vehicles currently have BS VI-compliant engines. For the record, the nationwide deadline to introduce BS VI grade of fuel is April 1, 2020. Delhi got it two years ahead of any other place in the country.

Last week, SC also ordered to ban the sale of BS IV-complaint vehicles across the country. The ban will come into effect from the same date when the entire country will have BS VI grade of fuel available. The idea is to have a vehicle which fully complements the cleaner fuel and produces fewer pollutants on the go.