A plea seeking directions to stop plying of 10-year-old “overloaded” trucks registered outside Delhi from supplying food grains to the PDS shops here, has led the National Green Tribunal to seek responses of Food Corporation of India (FCI) and the Delhi government on Thursday.
A Bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar issued notices to the FCI, AAP government, Delhi State Civil Supplies Corporation Ltd and others while seeking their responses on the plea before October 16.
The green panel, however, made it clear that it would not deal with all the prayers made by the applicant in the plea.
Toxic gases
“We confine our notice only to plying of trucks by FCI which are more than 10 years old and causing serious pollution, by over—loading, in violation of the orders of the tribunal. Issue notice to respondents,” the Bench said.
The petition filed by NGO ‘Anyay Virodhi Morcha’ has alleged that overloaded trucks, used for transportation of food articles, cause more pollution and accidents and a vehicle carrying goods beyond its capacity emits exponentially more toxic gases.
“The applicant submits that the respondents are causing pollution thereby continuously flouting the guidelines, norms, rules/regulations etc. The respondents in collusion with each other are allowing diesel trucks which were registered 10 years ago and despite the representations, they have not stopped or discontinued,” the plea said.
Advocate Ashwani Dubey, appearing for the NGO, said the trucks bearing the registration number of other states were being used to transport wheat and rice from one place to another in Delhi itself, which was in violation of rule 90(7) of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989.
