Over 1.5 lakh diesel vehicles which are older than 15 years are set to be the first casualties of the recent order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT). These vehicles have been rendered useless by the NGT order and will be just as good as scrap since the NGT has ordered that they will not even get a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Motor licensing Officers (MlOs) of the Transport Department of Delhi. This means that the owners of all such vehicles will have to dispose of their vehicles as scrap.
Meanwhile, while the NGT has given relief to vehicles older than 10 years old (but not older than 15 years) by allowing them to be sold outside NCR to specific locations with low pollution levels, there is little clarity on the procedure at the moment. The green panel has said that such vehicles can be sold only in those locations which are identified by respective States to have low pollution levels. Consequently, until the respective States identify such areas, one cannot apply for an NOC from the Transport Department. Also, it’s going to be a tedious job for the vehicle owners to find a buyer in those specific locations before applying for the NOC.
“An old vehicle in running condition with an NOC can fetch significantly more money than one which has to be sold as scrap. For example, a heavy goods vehicle which can be sold for around Rs1 lakh in scrap can fetch an extra Rs20,000 to Rs30,000 if it can be sold as a running vehicle in another State. This order will lead to a significant loss to owners of such vehicles,” said a scrap merchant from Mayapuri.
To somewhat compensate for the loss, the transporter fraternity has approached the Delhi Government seeking some form of compensation for those who have to discard their vehicles on the orders of the green panel. Rajender Kapoor, General Secretary of Delhi Goods Transport Association, said, “Most transporters have already stopped plying old vehicles in the city after last year’s order by the NGT. But after the latest order, those who are plying these vehicles outside NCR will also have to discard their vehicles as they will be de-registered. They will neither have fitness certificate nor a valid registration,” he said.
He added that since many poor drivers spend their lifetime savings to buy a second-hand vehicle which they will now have to sell as scrap, the transporters have asked the Delhi Government to come up with a compensation scheme so that they get some relief.
“We are also hoping that the Government will state our case before the NGT on the next date of hearing on Wednesday,” Kapoor added.
Meanwhile, the vehicles that are older than 10 years but have not reached the 15 year mark have been given a temporary relief by the court as such vehicles will get time to receive an NOC and can be sold in other States.
As per Transport Department statistics, there are around 1 lakh such vehicles registered with the department. These vehicles will have to apply for the NOC from their respective Motor licensing Officers.
“However, the procedure for the same is not clear yet. While normally, one can find a buyer in another State and can apply for the NOC for that specific location, but the court has said that vehicles older than 10 years can only be sold in those locations where pollution level is low. Also, such locations have to be identified by the respective States. Until that happens, NOC cannot be issued to any vehicle older than 10 years to be sold outside Delhi,” said a transport official.
In a severe setback to the owners of diesel vehicles in the national Capital, the NGT had last week directed the Motor licensing Officers (MlOs) in Delhi to de-register all diesel vehicles which are more than 10-year-old with immediate effect. However, giving relief to those whose vehicles have not crossed the 15-year threshold of age, the NGT said that de-registration should be done in phases with immediate de-registration of 15-year old vehicles. The green panel said that vehicle owners with vehicles below 15-years should be given an opportunity to get NOC so they could sell their vehicles outside NCR.