NEW DELHI: It was a punishing two hours for officials from Delhi government as well as ministries from the Centre on Tuesday as National Green Tribunal (NGT) reviewed a coordination meeting after its November 26 order. Upbraiding the departments for being unwilling to implement the court's order, NGT chairman Swatanter Kumar reportedly told officials that he will not hold another coordination meeting and, instead, send a show-cause notice if his order is not implemented.
Officials said the meeting, held with secretaries and senior officers of 13 departments, ended with Kumar reiterating that his order stands. After two-and-a-half hours, where transport, environment, traffic police, pollution control boards, ministry of urban development, and many others submitted their concerns for ban on more than 15-year-old vehicles, Kumar pointed out that it's up to them now to implement the order.
An official present at the meeting said, "It was made clear that the order needs to be implemented immediately, especially the ban on vehicles that are 15 years and older." Sources said that the NGT chairman even said that within a week departments should send a message to the public that the order is being implemented in to-to.
The next date of hearing is January 12 and all departments have been asked to submit an action taken report before that, added the official.
When told by the transport department that identifying vehicles older than 15 years would be difficult by sight, it was advised to make regional transport offices (RTO) responsible for their zones. To an official's remark that enforcement of parking rules is nearly impossible as violators continue to park illegally despite a crackdown, Swatanter Kumar suggested that vehicles standing in unauthorized areas be towed away and dumped in Bawana or other border areas. This will teach the violators a lesson.
The NGT judges and expert members said there is no need for any amendment as Supreme Court in 1997 had already ordered a ban on more than 15-year-old vehicles. NGT judges said the SC order is the "law of the land" and has to be implemented. Kumar also took stock of the progress on Eastern Peripheral Expressway. "The meeting was like a wake up call to all departments. He was particularly concerned about non-destined traffic entering Delhi and asked authorities why they haven't addressed it yet," said a lawyer representing a government department at the meeting.
The Delhi environment department also submitted that NGT's 14-point order should be applicable to the NCR as air pollution is a cross-boundary issue. Kumar agreed with it.
Incidentally, transport officials admit that phasing out older vehicles will help rein in pollution to some extent. Anil Chikkara, a transport department official, said, "There are around 2.5-3 lakh two-wheelers running in Delhi which still have two-stroke engines. These are the polluting vehicles." He added that two-stroke engines were phased out in 1999 but are still in use.
Meanwhile, government officials said that out of the 22-24 lakh vehicles affected by the NGT order, around 2.5 lakh have already applied for an NOC from the transport department. These NOC are required to sell the vehicle in another state. The rest will now have to apply for an NOC before disposing off their vehicles. Around 15 lakh are two-wheelers, added the official.
