The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has made a significant decision by rejecting a plea from the Special Protection Group (SPG) to extend the registration of three diesel-run specialized armored vehicles, which were deemed crucial for the specific purpose of the Prime Ministers security.In an order dated March 22, the NGTs principal bench, chaired by Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member Dr. A Senthil Vel, turned down the SPGs application. The decision was based on the Supreme Courts October 2018 ruling that prohibited diesel vehicles older than a decade from operating on Delhi NCR roads.The bench stated, We are aware that these three vehicles are specialized purpose vehicles that are not readily available, and they have been sparingly used over the last ten years for the specific purpose of the Prime Ministers security. However, considering the Supreme Courts order... the request cannot be granted, as per the NGT order.The SPG had sought NGTs intervention to instruct the Transport Department, NCT of Delhi/Registering Authority, to extend the registration period of the Specialized Armored Vehicles by five years until December 23, 2029, highlighting their essential role in the Special Protection Groups technical logistics.The three Renault MD-5 specialized armored vehicles, manufactured in 2013 and registered in December 2014, despite being initially registered for a 15-year period until December 2029, these vehicles will be deregistered in December 2024 in adherence to the Supreme Courts directive from 2018.The SPGs efforts to extend the registration were met with a refusal from the Transport department in May 2023, citing the NGT and Supreme Courts orders as reasons for denying the extension.The SPG argued before the NGT that these vehicles were unique in design and technical specifications, making them not readily available in the market to fulfill their requirements.However, the NGT bench highlighted that the government notifications cited by the SPG were generic and that the Supreme Courts ruling on diesel vehicles was specifically targeted at Delhi NCR. The NGT also noted that these SPG vehicles were only compliant with the older Bharat Stage III emission norms for motor vehicles.Prior to the Supreme Courts 2018 order, the NGT had itself issued a directive in April 2015, banning all diesel vehicles older than ten years from operating in Delhi NCR, aiming to address air quality concerns in the region.
