Delhi’s Environment Minister, Gopal Rai, has expressed concern over the continued operation of BS-III and BS-IV buses in Delhi, despite a ban imposed by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) from November 1 onwards.
Rai has written a letter to Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav, urging him to convene a meeting of environment ministers from neighboring states to address this issue.
During a visit to Anand Vihar on Friday at 11:30 pm, Rai was surprised to observe that BS-III and BS-IV diesel buses were still operating on the roads and entering Delhi from neighboring states. Similar reports have been received from other entry points as well.
Rai has requested the Union Minister to take effective measures to prohibit the entry of such vehicles into Delhi and also to ban their operation in the National Capital Region (NCR).
Earlier, the CAQM had issued an order stating that all buses originating from NCR districts and traveling to Delhi should be electric or CNG-based, or comply with the diesel-VI emission standards from November 1 onwards.
However, Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva has accused Rai of attempting to evade the Delhi government’s accountability on this issue. The matter remains a point of contention between the ruling party and the opposition in Delhi.
