The Supreme Court of India has decided against extending the deadline for phasing out diesel cabs in National Capital Region (NCR). It ordered the diesel cabs to go off the roads from 1 May 2016. The earlier deadline for phasing out diesel cabs was 1 April 2016, but it was extended for a month. The earlier extension was given so that private cab aggregators could switch to compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles by 1 May 2016.

However, the Supreme Court allowed Delhi Police and Delhi Jal Board to buy and register the new diesel-run vehicles of 2000 cc engine capacity and above for transportation of undertrial prisoners, arms and ammunition and supply of water. It had stopped sale of diesel SUVs and luxury cars with more than 2000 cc engine capacity in the national capital in 2015.

NOTE

It was Monday mayhem for commuters on the national capital’s roads, with a section of taxi drivers protesting a Supreme Court decision to ban cabs operating on diesel and petrol. The protesting drivers took to the roads at many places in the capital, causing hardships for school-going children and office-goers. The condition was worse on the Delhi-Gurgaon and Delhi-Noida borders and near west Delhi’s Rajokri area.