The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has refused to permit over 10-year-old diesel vehicles from plying in Karnal in Haryana and asked the State government to expedite installation of CNG stations.
CNG-filling stations
A Bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar passed the order on a plea by the Karnal Independent Schools’ Association, seeking permission to ply diesel vehicles over 10-year-old until adequate number of CNG-filling stations are set up in the city, which falls under the National Capital Region.
In its plea, the association had said that it runs around 900 buses in 77 schools, all private and unaided CBSE schools in Karnal.
On July 18, the green panel had directed the authorities in Delhi-NCR to cancel the registration of all diesel-powered vehicles which were over 10-year-old.
The Bench said: “Why can’t you buy new vehicles? Karnal is almost Delhi and it is as thickly-populated as any colony here. You run international schools and charge handsomely, why can’t you buy new vehicles? We are not going to permit diesel vehicles in Karnal, you can be rest assured.”
The Tribunal had earlier asked the Uttar Pradesh and Haryana governments to mull over the possibility of installing CNG stations in NCR, and consider the proposal after it was informed that there was no CNG station in Karnal and Meerut.
