In a bid to control increasing levels of pollution, especially during winters, the Delhi Transport department has written to neighbouring states urging them to shift from diesel vehicles to CNG, electric or BS VI fuel.
Special Commissioner Transport Shilpa Shinde wrote to Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh transport corporations to issue advisories to the RTOs under their jurisdiction to issue permits to heavy carriage vehicles destined to Delhi only if they are CNG/Electric BS-VI compliant.
“It is further requested to take steps to ensure that goods carriers destined to Delhi should be conforming BS VI Emission Norms or CNG/ Electric vehicles w.e.f 01/10/2023,” read the letter.
However, truckers and transporters expressed unhappiness over the letter and said small transporters and businesses will be hit if diesel trucks are not allowed to enter Delhi.
“It is not that easy to convert to BS VI or CNG… Apart from Delhi, no major city or state either has CNG infrastructure or runs CNG vehicles… Small truckers, whose businesses are recovering from Covid, will vanish,” said Pradeep Singla, chairman All India Transport Association.
Rajender Kapoor, president, All India Motor and Goods transport association, said, “We had a meeting with the transport secretary and they also agreed about the problems. But now they have issued an order without consulting the transport associations. We will hold a meeting in February and decide on how to oppose this decision.”