NGT notice on LPG vehicles

Chennai: The Southern Bench of the National Green Tri­bunal in Chennai issued notice on Thu­rs­day to the Central and state go­vernments on a PIL, seeking a direction to authorities to introduce the use of LPG/CNG in co­mmercial and other vehicles operated in the city.

On a petition from L.G. Sahadevan of Thambu Chetty Street, the bench com­prising judicial me­mber Justice M.Choc­kal­ingam and expert member R.Nagendran, directed the secretary, Union ministry of environment and for­e­sts (MoEF), state home se­cr­etary and Comm­issioner of Police to file their re­­p­lies on February 10, 2014.

In the p­etition, Sah­a­devan sought a direction to the authorities to implement the use of LPG/ CNG in auto-rickshaws, share-autos, Metropolitan Tra­nsport Corporation buses, tourist cars and other public transport vehicles in the city within a period. Pursuant to the orders of the Supreme Court, all vehicles in Delhi were converted to CNG and auto-rickshaws were being driven with LPG in
Kol­kata, Ba­n­galore and Hyderabad.

The total number of vehicles had risen from 5.17 lakh in 1990 to 11.5 lakh in 2000, and to 40.10 lakh in 2013. About 60 to 70 per cent of air pollution in the city was caused by vehicles.

This air pollution was causing health hazards, leading to respiratory diseases, cancer and tuberculosis, the petitioner contended.