GURGAON: A total of 2,411 petrol vehicles that are over 15 years old were seized in Gurgaon and Faridabad and 354 were deregistered in the past five years. In the same period, 1,121 diesel vehicles that were more than 10 years old were seized and 1,565 were deregistered. The vehicles were seized in keeping with the directions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
In 2015, the NGT banned diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years in the NCR due to increasing air pollution. The Supreme Court passed a similar order in 2018 and directed the state to start enforcing the ban. In July 2016, the Haryana government also passed a similar order, banning such vehicles in Gurgaon, Faridabad, Sonipat and Jhajjar districts.
The order was implemented in Gurgaon and Faridabad only in 2018. Gurgaon and Faridabad police carry out drives from time to time to enforce the ban. According to the police, all the impounded vehicles are kept at the nearest police station and released only after the payment of an additional fine — apart from the on-the-spot penalty of up to Rs 5,000 for private cars — on the condition that their owner scrap the same. Impounded vehicles cannot be used again.
“The owners of old vehicles registered in Delhi-NCR have only two options — scrapping them or getting them re-registered in other states. As per Motor Vehicle Rules, a vehicle gets deregistered automatically after the expiry of its life cycle of a maximum of 15 years,” said a senior traffic police officer in Gurgaon.
The chief secretary of Haryana had convened a meeting to review the enforcement of the ban on 10- to 15-year-old vehicles and the mandatory use of smog guns.
The deputy commissioners of Gurgaon and Faridabad were directed to assess the gap in anti-smoke guns and submit their report within a month. The DCs of Gurgaon and Faridabad were asked to ensure that construction and demolition projects must deploy and ensure frequent and effective use of adequate numbers of anti-smog guns in proportion to the total area of construction for the project.
The residents said the life cycle of vehicles should be raised from 15 to 20 years. "Not many can afford to change vehicles after 15 years. A vehicle should be scrapped based on its fitness, not on the date of registration," said Samresh Kumar, a resident of Sector 50.
Another resident said the 15-year clause should be used only for commercial vehicles, not for private cars or two-wheelers. “Private vehicles usually remain in good condition as compared to commercial vehicles,” said Lavleen Kaur, a resident of Sector 70.
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