Air pollution: Plea suggests train ride for old trucks

New Delhi, May 5: To curb air pollution in Delhi- NCR, a plea was moved in the National Green Tribunal on Tuesday seeking introduction of RORO ( roll- on roll- off) service for commercial vehicles which are more than 10 years old.

Roll- on roll- off is a service that enables loaded trucks to be carried directly on railway wagons between two destinations.

A bench headed by the NGT chairperson, Justice Swatanter Kumar, issued a notice to the railway ministry and sought its reply by May 18.

“There are no trains for human beings, you want it for trucks. No train enters railway station in capital on its time,” the bench said. The plea filed by Kailash Mishra and Himani Jain, experts in field of road transport, has sought intervention in the Vardhaman Kaushik case ( related to air pollution by vehicles) for providing a “feasible” solution to the air pollution menace in the Delhi- NCR.

Advocate Sanjay Upadhyay, appearing for Mr Mishra and Ms Jain, said that if RORO service is introduced by railways, the trucks will cross Delhi without causing pollution.

“Keeping in mind the heavy inflow of diesel vehicles in NCR, the applicants propose to introduce RORO service for transporting all heavy, medium and light commercial vehicles irrespective of their age or fitness level transiting through Delhi and NCR region on roll- on- roll- off train service provided by the northern railways at a cost lower than road transport cost,” the plea said.

The plea said that the Konkan Railway has been operating RORO service for fully loaded trucks for the last 16 years and have transported approximately five lakh trucks during this period.

“The technology and system of RORO, therefore, has been tried and tested successfully by the Indian Railways and may be replicated in NCR,” it said.

Highlighting the benefits of RORO, the petition said that this service will improve the air quality in Delhi and NCR with reduced number of commercial vehicles plying on roads. It will also reduce noise pollution generated by these vehicles and thus curb vehicular emissions besides generating a new revenue source for the Railways.

During the hearing, Ghaziabad Mahanagar Goods Transport Welfare Association also moved a plea seeking modification of the tribunal’s order banning plying of diesel vehicles over 10 years old in Delhi- NCR.