Bharat Stage-III emission: Telangana to obey SC diktat, no registrations from April 1

Hyderabad: No vehicles that conform to Bharat Stage-III emission norms will be registered in any Regional Transport Offices in Telangana from April 1, 2017, following the Supreme Court’s ban on their sale and registration.

However, BS-III vehicles, which have a Temporary Registration (TR) made on or before March 31, will be considered for the registration process even after April 1. “No vehicle with BS-III standards will be registered at any regional transport offices in Telangana from April 1, 2017,” said J. Panduranga Naik, Joint Transport Commissioner of RTA.

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According to regional transport authorities, Hyderabad has around 30 lakh vehicles, and of this only 30 per cent complies with BS-IV emission norms. Telangana State Pollution Control Board (TSPCB) lauded the Supreme Court's order as 50 per cent of the air pollution was caused by vehicles. Enviornamentalists, however, want more. “The judgement is welcome but it may face several bottlenecks in its implementation. No attempt has been made to curtail the resale of the banned vehicles. I am afraid the move may not be enough as new generation vehicles too can cause similar emissions during traffic jam,” said Subba Rao, a city-based senior environmentalist.