SC bar on diesel SUVs, big cars in Delhi

The Supreme Court doubled the environment compensation charge on all trucks entering Delhi, barred entry of pre-2005 trucks, and mandated all taxis in the Delhi National Capital Region to run on less polluting Compressed Natural Gas.

SC favours levy of ECC on commercial vehicles criss-crossing Delhi.

If one goes through the imposed ban, there will not be new registration of Vehicles like Toyota's Innova, Mitsubishi Pajero, Mahindra & Mahindra's Scorpio, Tata Sumo, Tata Safari until 31st of March 2016.

The Court has also hiked the green cess on commercial vehicles by 100 per cent.

The bench therefore ordered that no vehicle that is not bound for Delhi will be allowed to enter from NH-8, that links Jaipur to Delhi, and NH-1, linking Punjab, Haryana and other northern states to Delhi via the Kundli border.

In response to how citizens have taken to registration ban, 51% (7169 votes) polled in favour of "other measures being needed" apart from temporarily putting new diesel SUV and luxury cars off the road.

Delhi's crackdown on diesel cars has unsettled the industry, its salesmen and investors, who warn the ban and uncertainty around it could derail a tentative recovery in Indian sales and leave dealers with forecourts packed with unsold cars.

This very court had on October 12 ordered the light duty vehicles to pay Rs 700 and three-axle vehicles Rs 1,300 for entering Delhi in addition to the toll tax from November 1 as ECC.

All these measures come after Delhi has been experiencing alarming levels of pollution caused by diesel emissions and the burning of crops residue in farms around the city. Chief Justice of India TS Thakur had said, "People's life is at stake and you are interested in selling cars".

During the three-hour-long hearing yesterday, the Supreme Court bench indicated support to the odd-even formula proposed by the Delhi government to tackle growing air pollution in the national capital, which is now being described as "a gas chamber".

"Why don't you people take credit of cleaning Delhi air?" Anand Mahindra, chairman of the Mahindra Group, said on Twitter his company would honour the court's decision. The formula will first be tried till January 15 and will be extended after an assessment.