The National Green Tribunal (NGT) circuit bench in Kochi has banned over 10-year-old light and heavy diesel vehicles in six major cities of Kerala – state capital Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, commercial capital Kochi, Thrissur, Kozhikode and Kannur.
The bench has also directed the state government not to register any diesel-engined vehicle with cubic capacity of 2000cc and above, except for public transport and local authority vehicles. It is understood that owners of vehicles violating the order will have to pay Rs 5,000 as environmental compensation, which will be collected by the traffic police or the pollution control board and that the funds will be used to improve the environment in these six cities.
The NGT circuit bench’s order follows a petition filed by the Lawyers’ Environmental Awareness Forum seeking action against highly polluting diesel-engined vehicles such as trucks and buses.