‘MISCONCEPTION THAT ONLY DIESEL CARS POLLUTE’

New Delhi: The government on Thursday told the National Green Tribunal that there was a "misconception" that only diesel pollutes the environment. "NGT has concluded that diesel vehicles are more polluting than petrol and CNG. The government has submitted that there are various pollutants that cause air pollution from vehicles. “Diesel may be inferior to petrol in some pollutants such as particulate matters and oxides of nitrogen, but petrol is inferior to diesel in other pollutants. Hence, the misconception that only diesel is a polluting technology or fuel,” additional solicitor general Pinky Anand told the NGT. Opposing the ban on 10-year-old-diesel vehicles, the ministry of heavy industries told the tribunal that diesel was not the only polluting fuel as they have higher fuel efficiency which leads to 10-15 per cent lower carbon dioxide emission compared to a petrol vehicle. “Assuming a 10 per cent lower carbon dioxide emission for diesels, diesel passenger vehicles in India's fleet would have saved over 1.5 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions a year, thereby significantly helping in the commitment of reducing the country’s emissions intensity per unit GDP by 33 -35 per cent below the 2005 level by 2030 at 21st Conference of Parties at United National Framework Convention on Climate Change,” Anand said.The ASG also referred to the Delhi government's oddeven road rationing scheme and said that Central Pollution Control Board unequivocally establishes that pollution levels did not come down due to reduction in vehicles. The ASG also pointed to report published by Central Road Research Institute in 2002 and said it clearly mentions that the average age of cars plying in the city of Delhi was between the age of 5-6 years and, hence, the vehicles of 10-15 year old vintage were seldom used and their contribution to air pollution of Delhi was minuscule.