Dear Chief Minister, daring to go behind bars by defying CNG orders won't help. The issue is not that of CNG but air pollution and people dying from it in Delhi. If you do not want to take responsibility then resign.


NEW DELHI NOVEMBER 22, 2001: The Centre for Science and Environment is shocked at the callous attitude of the chief minister Sheila Dikshit towards controlling severe air pollution problem in Delhi. Her attitude towards the Supreme Court orders on clean fuels only betrays her desperation to pass on the blame. The reactive stance of the Delhi government has become tedious for the citizens of Delhi. The refrain is only to find excuses for inaction and CNG is the favourite whipping boy.

If the chief minister is so convinced that CNG is not one of the right answers then what is? While her government has slipped miserably in implementing the CNG order she has also not paid any attention towards other Court orders that fall in her jurisdiction. The same CNG order of July 28, 1998 had also directed immediate implementation of automated inspection and maintenance facilities, comprehensive I&M programme by March 2000, new ISBTs at entry points in North and South-west to avoid pollution due to entry of inter-state buses, and setting up of new and strengthening of air quality monitoring stations. Only one ISBT has been built after the court order. In fact, in one of the recent hearings the Chief Justice bench had also asked the Delhi government to examine the problem of pollution from heavy truck traffic from outside Delhi. The track record is simply dismal.

Delhi government abdicates its role to the Supreme Court and then blames the Court for forcing down solutions on them. Never ever the government on its own has shown interest in taking decisions in controlling environmental pollution. It is time for the Delhi citizens to ask what has happened to the draft Cabinet proposal that the Delhi environment department had drawn up to control vehicular pollution in Delhi two years ago? Why couldn't Delhi government muster up enough courage to implement it?

Some of the key proposals among others in the Cabinet note of the Delhi government that never saw the light of the day include:

• Only four stroke two wheelers fitted with catalytic converters will be registered from 1.10.2000 in the national capital territory.

• 18 year old scooters will be banned from 1.6.2000 and 15-18 year old from 31.3.2000

• The life span of all the new replaced vehicles will be normally 10 years from their initial date of registration.

• Registration of diesel driven passenger vehicles with capacity upto 12 passengers in the private category to be banned in the National Capital Territory

• All buses including mini and Omni buses and local taxis will ply on CNG or other approved clean fuels. Only new autos and taxis running on clean fuel like CNG or battery operated should be registered from 1.4.2000. Existing autos and taxis retrofitted with CNG or LPG as and when approved by the Government shall be allowed but their age will still be fixed at 15 years.

• All new non-commercial vehicles of the Government of NCT, its undertakings and autonomous bodies will be retrofitted with CNG kits by 3.6.2000. Future replacement will be with CNG only.

It may seem tempting to defy Court orders on CNG just as when the government faces the civic elections. But there are more votes in public health.

CSE strongly urges the Chief minister, Sheila Dikshit to present time bound action plan not only on how the Delhi government proposes to implement the CNG order but also on the other measures for immediate implementation to control the severe air pollution in Delhi.