The National Green Tribunal’s Ernakulam-based special circuit bench has banned the diesel vehicles in Kerala that are older than 10 years. Similar to Delhi, the Green Court also asked the state to stop registering diesel vehicles higher than 2000cc capacity. Though the public transport and authority vehicles have been exempted from the ban.
The order said: “The state of Kerala shall not register any diesel vehicle with the capacity of 2,000cc and above, except public transport and local authority vehicle.”
The bench issued an interim order after hearing a petition filed by LEAF (Lawyers’ Environmental Awareness Forum). Moreover, It announced a fine of Rs 10,000 in case an older vehicle is found running on roads after 30 days of the order.
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The petition filed by LEAF said that Kerala’s commercial capital Kochi is among the most polluted cities, and other growing regions are also catching up. The petition also demanded the immediate ban on old vehicles like buses and lorries that produce hazardous gases.
Carmakers like Toyota and Mercedes-Benz India are already seeing a drop in their sales due to ban on vehicles above 2000c in Delhi, and the new order could further increase their trouble. Since M&M has already launched 1999cc diesel-engined versions of the Scorpio and XUV500, they might follow the same strategy for the state of Kerala.
Popular cars that will be banned in Kerala
1. Toyota Innova Crysta
2. Toyota Fortuner
3. Ford Endeavour
4. Mahindra Scorpio
5. Mahindra XUV500
6. Tata Safari Storme
7. Hyundai Santa Fe
8. Chevrolet Trailblazer
