NGT Rejects Plea To Extend Life Of Armoured Diesel Vehicles For PM's Convoy

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has rejected the request by the Special Protection Group (SPG) to extend the registration of three specialised armoured vehicles for the security of the Prime Minister. The diesel-run armoured vehicles in question are the Renault MD-5 or Renault Sherpa Lite, which were inducted into the fleet by the SPG in 2014 and will have to be retired in the wake of the 10-year age limit on diesel cars in Delhi-NCR. 

In the order dated March 22, 2024, the NGT principal bench of chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member Dr. A. Senthil Vel rejected the SPG’s application, citing the Supreme Court’s judgement of October 2018, which banned diesel vehicles older than 10 years from plying on the roads of Delhi-NCR. 

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In its order, the bench said, “We are conscious of the fact that these three vehicles are special purpose vehicles that are not normally available, and these vehicles have run very little in the last ten years and are needed for the specific purpose of security of the Prime Minister, but given the order of the Hon’ble Supreme Court dated October 29, 2018, the prayer made... cannot be granted,” and it “is accordingly rejected.”

The three Renault MD-5 special armoured vehicles covered only about 6,000 km, 9,500 km, and 15,000 km, respectively, during the nine years of operations since these vehicles are used only for tactical purposes. The SPG has placed a request to the NGT to direct the Transport Department to extend the registration by five years until December 12, 2029. They also mentioned that these vehicles “are an essential and integral part of Special Protection Group technical logistics.” 

In its request, the SPG cited that the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) had previously issued notifications to seek an extension of registration for the vehicles. The notifications provided relaxations on extending the registration of old vehicles in special cases, such as this one. However, the NGT argued that the government notifications were general, whereas the Supreme Court was specifically for diesel vehicles plying in Delhi-NCR. The NGT also noted that the armoured vehicles were only BS3-compliant. 

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It’s unclear if the SPG will challenge the NGT’s ruling in the matter. Retiring the specialised armoured vehicles would require the SPG to induct new vehicles in its place, putting an unnecessary burden on the state exchequer. 

The Supreme Court’s order was made given the rising pollution in Delhi-NCR, with vehicular pollution cited as one of the major contributors. In its ruling, the apex court ordered the governments of Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh to not register any diesel vehicles older than 10 years. The NGT passed a similar order in April 2015, citing the alarmingly low air quality levels. 

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