Pollution: Delhi Writes To Haryana, Asks It To Allow Only BS-VI Buses To Enter City From October 1

The Delhi government has urged Haryana to allow only BS VI-compliant buses to enter the national capital from October 1 in order to help control air pollution in the city.  The request was made to deal with the problem of vehicular pollution in the city, which officials here indicated, is contributed to in part by vehicles coming from the neighbouring state of Haryana. The national capital witnesses high levels of air pollution in the winter months from October due to a multitude of factors including stubble burning and vehicular traffic. 

 In a June 15 letter to Haryana Transport Department Principal Secretary Navdeep Singh Virk, Delhi’s Transport Special Commissioner O P Mishra has said the situation has attracted the attention of the Supreme Court and the CAQM (Commission of Air Quality Management in Delhi and NCR).  They have issued directions for effective regulation of air pollution and vehicular pollution, he said. In its order on October 14, 2018, the Supreme Court had directed no motor vehicle conforming to the lower BS-IV emission standard shall be sold or registered in the entire country from April 1, 2020 and only BS-VI compliant vehicles are permitted to be sold or registered, the letter said. 

 The letter said the National Green Tribunal has already directed that diesel vehicles more than 10 years old will not be allowed to ply in the NCR.  "It is important to mention that the public transport in Delhi has been switched completely to CNG, while buses plying from other states to NCT of Delhi continue to use diesel," it said. "For achieving a tangible result in respect to pollution, efforts of all the stakeholders including the neighbouring states are needed."  "Therefore, I seek your support to deal with the problem of Vehicular pollution deploying only BS VI-complaint buses destined to Delhi w.e.f 01.10.2022," it said. The Bharat Stage Emission standards are instituted by the government to regulate air pollutants from motor vehicles. The Bharat Stage VI (or BS-VI) emission norm came into force from April 1, 2020 across the country. 

(With PTI Inputs)