2.5 lakh old petrol and diesel vehicles may be impounded

GURUGRAM: Complying with the Supreme Court (SC)’S order, the district administration on Wednesday instructed the Regional Transport Office (RTO) and the traffic police to impound with immediate effect petrol and diesel vehicles older than 10 and 15 years, respectively.

The order will affect 2.5 lakh vehicles in the city—1.9 lakh private vehicles and 60,000 commercial vehicles. Of these, about 1.5 lakh vehicles are two-wheelers and the rest are four-wheelers.

As per the order (a copy of which is with the Hindustan Times), diesel commercial vehicles in the series HR 55 to HR 55H; private vehicles in the series HR 26 to HR 26T plying on petrol, and diesel private vehicles in the series HR 26U to HR 26AT will be impounded if found plying.

“In view of the worsening air quality and complying with the Supreme Court’s order, all petrol vehicles older than 15 years and diesel vehicles older than 10 years found plying in the city will be impounded by the Gurugram

Police and RTO officials,” additional deputy commissioner and RTO secretary Munish Sharma said.

According to officers in the district administration, as on date, six lakh vehicles are plying on city roads and an additional 50,000 vehicles are added to Gurugram roads every year.

“As we have a major national highway running through the city, vehicular emission accounts for 30% to 35% air pollution. The highway attracts a lot of commercial vehicles, such as goods trucks which run on diesel and are a major source of pollution,” Gurugram-based air quality scientist Sachin Panwar said.