Some time back NGT ordered to keep all 10 years and above old diesel vehicles and 15 years and above old petrol vehicles off the road citing rising pollution in NCR.

I wonder why our government can't foresee the problems well in advance and make timely policies accordingly? Are aging vehicles only cause of concern w.r.t rising pollution levels?

When I bought my XUV 5OO in 2012, I had to pay a premium for buying diesel engine vehicle. Now the rate of diesel and patrol is almost same. Thanks to Covid resulting in nationwide lockdown, private vehicles were off the road for almost 2 years which got added up in vehicle's life though being off the road as businesses were closed, people like me were bleeding from nose due to no income and still retaining our years old staff by paying them salaries from our savings so that they could survive though that should have been government's responsibility as tourism and hospitality sector was the worst hit.

How our judiciary or officials sitting in NGT can compare a private well maintained vehicle which has hardly been driven for 65000 km in 10 years vs. commercial vehicles which are driven over 1 lac km in 3 years itself?

How much it hurts financially as well as emotionally when you hardly have any income and when you are being forced to dump/scrap your well maintained vehicle in barely 3 lac rupees (against new vehicle costing Rs 20 lac) as our government had not thought of this in time?

Why the vehicle registration certificate is valid for 15 years if vehicle has to go off the road after 10 years? Why the same vehicle can ply outside NCR but not in NCR as if the air pollutants remain stagnant and doesn't flow with air and hence will not reach NCR if a 10 years old diesel vehicle is driven outside NCR? Interestingly, I had got hypothecation removed from my RC last year in October or so and even the new RC states validity for 15 years.

Before making such a big announcement, government didn't even think of giving an alternate solution, even today there are hardly any companies which can convert an XUV Diesel vehicle to an electric one and if there is any, its charges are exhorbiant moreover there are hardly any charging stations.

Prima facie, it appears that there is some sort of pushing factor by automobile lobby which has forced government/NGT to make such absurd rule. I believe atleast two years of Covid period extension be given to all such private diesel engine vehicles which are well maintained or have been driven below 1 lac km and after that a vehicle should be put off the road if it fails the fitness test. Government should not make policy with retrospective effect and this rule should only be applicable from the vehicles purchased after this announcement by NGT.