Maharashtra Govt Seeks More Time to Frame Policy On Phasing Out Petrol, Diesel Vehicles Amid Pollution Concerns In Mumbai

The state government on Monday informed the Bombay High Court that the phasing out of diesel and petrol vehicles in Mumbai will have a cascading effect on a huge section of the population and also on the country’s economy. Nevertheless, the state said it is studying all aspects of its feasibility and, hence, the framing of a policy to that effect may take time.

The state government made the statement during the hearing on Monday before the division bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice MS Karnik. The court was hearing a suo motu petition addressing the issue of the alarming level of air pollution in the city and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).

During the hearing on January 9, the High Court had instructed the government to form a committee comprising experts, civil administrators, and traffic management officials to study the feasibility of phasing out petrol and diesel vehicles. The committee has three months to complete the study and submit its report.

On Monday, Joint Transport Commissioner Jayant Patil and Deputy Commissioner of Police (HQ & Central Traffic), Mumbai, Samadhan Pawar, submitted their affidavits before the court for the hearing of the petition on the steps taken to curb air pollution in the city.

In response to the High Court’s suggestion, Patil informed the court that the government has formed a seven-member committee that will look into the aspects of phasing out diesel and petrol vehicles from the city. The court was informed that the committee would examine the feasibility of the idea of phasing out such vehicles and permitting only motor vehicles that run on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) or electric charge.

However, the government stated that the policy will have a cascading effect on a significant section of the population and the economy and, hence, a ‘detailed, in-depth, exhaustive, and extensive’ study will be required, which is time-consuming. The government also said that the committee would need a longer time frame to arrive at its conclusive study.

The government noted that the committee has already held meetings five times and is in the process of gathering the requisite information from stakeholders and other affected parties.