Kerala to follow NCR way. To ban diesel cars over 10 year old

Following Delhi's example of ban on diesel cars, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday ordered the Kerala government to stop registering diesel vehicles with engine capacity of 2,000cc and above, except public transport and local authority vehicles.

Brands like Toyota and Mercedes have seen their sales in NCR go down after the ban. Mahindra had introduced a 1,990cc diesel engine for its popular models to bypass the ban.

The Kochi Circuit Bench of the NGT also barred all 10-year-old diesel vehicles — light and heavy — from plying on the roads of six cities. Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kochi, Thrissur, Kozhikode and Kannur cannot have 10-year-old diesel vehicles after 30 days. Upon expiry of 30 days from today (Monday), if any vehicle is found to be violating this direction, it would be liable to pay Rs 5,000 per violation, as environmental compensation.

NGT Chairperson Swatanter Kumar, who had ordered a ban on the sale and registration of all diesel cars in Delhi in last December, was part of the Bench.

Kerala accounts for about seven per cent of the total passenger vehicles sold in the country in a year. A total of 191,275 passenger vehicles were sold in Kerala in the year ended March 31, 2015. Of these, only 26,894 were utility vehicles, according to SIAM data. Most of the 2,000cc diesel vehicles would be utility vehicles.

inputs: business-standard.com

Cover pic: bangaloreboleroclub.blogspot.com