EPCA bar on diesel cab registration

New Delhi: The Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) has written to Delhi chief secretary Kewal Kumar Sharma saying that no new diesel cab should be registered under the All India Tourist Taxi Permit (AITP) in NCR from now on. The letter was sent to the CS on April 29.
"Many taxi services in NCR are operating diesel taxis registered under AITP. There is enough evidence to say that these vehicles are being misused to provide taxi services within NCR in violation of the permit conditions.Under the cover of AITP, taxi operators in Delhi are registering diesel vehicles purely for point-to-point operations within NCR. This is against the orders of the court as diesel taxis cannot operate within NCR...this needs to be discontinued immediately," the letter said. For existing AITP taxis, EPCA is working with stakeholders to ensure they operate within NCR according to their permit conditions, the letter added.
A state road tax is levied on AITP taxis allowing them to operate within three states of NCR. "EPCA will also discuss this matter and evolve suitable recommendations to ensure inter-state taxis operating within NCR are incentivised, as long as they operate on CNG," added the letter by EPCA, an SC-appointed panel. "The honourable court's directions need to be enforced with the highest urgency and diligence. Operations of all diesel taxis must be discontinued from May 1."
EPCA members told TOI that not just SC, even the high court had reiterated that taxis should ply on CNG. There are 70 new CNG stations in NCR, which is a big push for taxis to convert.
Tourist taxi services, however, said that Saturday's SC order and EPCA's directions to the government would hit their business. "They should provide us with an alternative before coming out with such orders. Now, we will try to pick up passengers, who are heading for places outside NCR, directly from the airport. There needs to be another solution for taxis that have to travel outside Delhi," said Satish Kumar, the owner of Delhi Tourist Taxi in Rohini.
Many of them also claimed they had no knowledge of any SC order on diesel taxis. "I have 12 diesel taxis, and I will get them converted to CNG if that was possible," said Sanjeev Kumar from Kumar Tourist Taxi Service. "I had no idea about any such conversion rule. I pay Rs 1.5 lakh as EMI for the loan I had taken to buy these taxis."