Times of India , Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Correspondent : Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government may ban diesel vehicles in the city if other measures to curb pollution do not work. "We will come down with a strong hand and ban registration of diesel vehicles in Delhi if everything else fails," Delhi environment secretary J K Dadoo on Monday told a roundtable of the automotive industry and civil society. The suggestion is a potential bombshell because in 2005-06, 18% of all cars in the city were running on diesel. This figure is expected to have gone up since. So, banning them would not only upset their manufacturers but a large number of car owners. Currently, apart from Tata's Indica and Indigo, virtually every car model comes with a diesel variant. The government, however, is determined to tackle rising air pollution due to vehicular emission, Dadoo said. "Delhi can ban the use of any fuel it wants. We have the legal powers under the Air Pollution (Prevention and Control) Act, 1981, to ban the use of any fuel in the capital," he declared. The automotive industry reacted cautiously. Dilip Chenoy, director general of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers said, "Yes, the secretary said so but I don't want to comment on that. The industry is ready to meet the norms if the right fuel is available." Prakash Sardesai, technical director of BASF, one of the biggest emission control device providers in the world, said: "I don't think the industry will have a problem in agreeing to Euro 4 norms if the right kind of fuel is available." Earlier at the meeting, Tata Motors MD Ravi Kant had said, "The industry shall not be found wanting. But we must take a holistic view of the situation, not just of one facet... There should be a roadmap for (implementing standards)." He pointed out that there were other vehicles besides cars fit for action. Dadoo made clear that the government will press hard for Euro 4 norms. "Delhi wants the Euro 4 pollution norms to be brought in before 2010 (the scheduled date for its implementation) and if need be we are willing to do some tail-twisting (to get it accepted)," he said.

SOURCE : Times of India, Tuesday, 11 December 2007