Supreme Court extends ban on 2000cc diesel vehicle registration in Delhi
The Supreme Court of India had temporarily banned registration of cars and SUVs powered by diesel engines with cubic capacity of 2.0-litre or above till March 31, 2016. This directive had been issued in December last year. The Supreme Court has now extended this ban till April 30, 2016. The apex constitutional court has also extended the time frame for cabs to convert from diesel to CNG by one month.
After the ban was announced in December, Mahindra, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota had filed a plea against the ban. These three manufacturers had submitted an independent analysis report, which claimed that the majority traffic comprises of two- and three-wheelers. And emissions from these vehicles were causing more harm to the environment than their diesel-powered cars. However, the ban was retained.
Diesel vehicles were being targeted in Delhi due to their emission of Diesel Particulate Matter (DPM) which is an output of diesel combustion. The relevant authorities were worried about the high density of PM2.5 (particulates sized 2.5 microns or smaller) in the air. Despite several manufacturers mentioning that their modern vehicles are BS-IV compliant , the Supreme Court has stayed put on the ban.
The extension of the ban on registration of cars and SUVs powered by diesel engines with cubic capacity of 2.0-litre or above will continue to make a dent in the sales of carmakers who have only such engines in their portfolio.
Mahindra is one manufacturer that has a found a way around this ban by introducing its vehicles with a smaller 1.99-litre diesel engine. Â Clearly, other carmakers won't get so lucky.
Commenting on the diesel ban, Tom von Bonsdorff, Managing Director, Volvo Auto India said, ""At Volvo Cars, we always aim to provide the most efficient and environment friendly cars across the world. All our models, including ones available in India, comply with the most stringent global emission norms which is the EURO 6 standard. Volvo Cars was the first car company to make DPF standard across the diesel offerings way back in 2007,".