BackCentre moves SC against ban on diesel cabs in Delhi-NCR
Centre tells SC that the ban is adversely affecting BPO industry as it rely heavily on diesel cabs for dropping women employees
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New Delhi: The central government on Thursday moved the Supreme Court against the ban on diesel taxis in the national capital region (NCR).
A ban order passed by the apex court requiring diesel cabs to be taken off the roads of the NCR by 30 April had sparked protests by cab drivers.
The matter was brought before a bench headed by Chief Justice T.S. Thakur, who heard their concerns and said that the matter will be taken up on Monday.
Highlighting the plight of the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry, the centre told the Supreme Court that the ban was adversely affecting the industry as it relied heavily on diesel cabs for dropping women employees.
“The government earns a lot of revenue through the operation of BPOs and enforcing the ban on them may drive them out of the country," said solicitor general Ranjit Kumar, appearing for the central government.
The Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) told the court that radio taxis such as Ola, Uber were misusing their tourist permits to run diesel cabs in the city.
The apex court was also informed of a mutual decision by the transport authority of the Delhi government and the centre to limit the issue of all India tourist permits to only petrol and compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles.
The ban on diesel cabs, effective from 1 May under the court’s order, was first resisted by the Delhi government, which sought time to phase out diesel taxis.
A two-day period was granted to the Delhi government to submit a detailed road map for the process.
The city government had said it couldn’t comply with the ban order right away; it would like to take diesel cabs off the roads in a phased manner.
The order on diesel cabs by a bench comprising Chief Justice Thakur and justices A.K. Sikri and R. Banumathi is part of an effort to control escalating pollution in the capital.
On 16 December, the apex court made it mandatory for taxis to shift to CNG, doubled the entry tax on trucks and ordered diesel-powered commercial vehicles that are at least 10 years old off the city’s roads.
All taxi services, including cab aggregators such as Ola and Uber, plying under city permits were asked to start using CNG before 31 March.
The matter will be heard next on 9 May.
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