SPG moves NGT for permission to get its diesel vehicles registered

New Delhi: The Special Protection Group (SPG) on Friday approached the National Green Tribunal (NGT) seeking direction to the Delhi Government's Transport Department to allow registration of its diesel vehicles.

SPG, in its application, said they were in process of discarding their 28 diesel vehicles and huge deficiency has been created in its motor transport fleet and its operational efficiency in providing protection to its VIP protectees, including the Prime Minister.

A bench, headed by NGT chairperson Swatanter Kumar, asked the counsel appearing for SPG to provide more details of the vehicles which it required and said it would consider the plea on September 15.

The plea, filed through advocate Balendu Shekhar, said for deploying manpower and equipment, which are vital components in the security arrangement, suitable vehicles of different categories were required.

SPG approached the green panel seeking registration of its new vehicles, as the tribunal had last year banned the registration of new diesel vehicles as well as their re- registration after 10 years.

"Considering the urgency and operational requirement, transport Department, Govt of NCT Delhi may be directed to allow registration of their vehicles forthwith. Failing which huge inconvenience would be caused to SPG in performing their statutory obligations as enshrined in Special Protection Group Act, 1988."

"More so, Supreme Court order of September 28, 2001 has considered the vehicle fleet of SPG as separate category," it said, adding that SPG has been authorised to keep 506 vehicles of various categories in their fleet.

It further said SPG has exclusive mandate under the law to provide security cover to most important personalities, including Prime Minister, and their family members who are vulnerable for high security threat and it has to take all adequate measures with logistics to fulfil its responsibility.

The plea said SPG has recently procured six BS-IV complied diesel buses and when it approached Delhi government's Transport Department for their registration, the deputy commissioner (operations) intimated it that registration of any new diesel vehicle was not allowed by the tribunal's December 11, 2015 order.

In a jolt to diesel car owners in the national capital, the Tribunal had directed the Delhi government to cancel the registration of all diesel-powered vehicles which were more than 10 years old from plying in the city.

Later, the tribunal had clarified that such deregistration of 15 to 10 years old diesel vehicles in the national capita would be carried out in a phased manner.