With Delhi set to enforce the ban on diesel and BS4 buses from November 1, officials at the Uttarakhand Transport Corporation have claimed that the department does not have the requisite alternative to handle the usual footfall.
According to officials, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) orders from December 2019 instructed all transport corporations to convert to BS6 engines and above, for environmental conservation. There were several extensions given and the deadline for implementation was March this year which was once again extended to November.
“Until and unless there is any further extension from NGT or by the Delhi government, BS4 diesel vehicles will not be permitted to enter Delhi,” said Ashok Choudhary, general secretary, Uttarakhand Transport Corporation. He said that all 400 vehicles currently plying between Uttarakhand and Delhi are BS4 diesel vehicles, which is also true for other neighbouring states like Haryana, Rajasthan, UP etc. “Even our 50 Volvo buses are BS5 and do not qualify. We have 150 CNG vehicles in our fleet that can be put to use with immediate effect if the new ruling stays,” said Choudhary. But officials worry that 150 buses will not be able to handle the load of 400 regular buses, especially with the passenger load likely to increase during the festive season. A source at the corporation also said that Delhi is most likely to enforce this new rule because of the issue of pollution in the capital region during the year end annually. “All state corporations will suffer as none of them has BS6 vehicles. Converting the engines is not a possibility. We will have to procure new vehicles and that tender process in itself takes over six months, so even if it is done immediately, transport services will suffer for the next few months. We are also expecting an increased load from UP if the ban is enacted,” said the source.
