Driver suicides are next

No one is sure what the source of pollution in Delhi truly is. Is it just too many vehicles or Diesel ones specifically? Is it even just vehicles or industrial and construction related pollution also? In the meantime tens of thousands of drivers face the dire prospect of bankruptcy from having purchased new diesel vehicles (that are Euro II or Euro IV compliant) that they can no longer use to earn an honest livelihood.

The recent drive against commercial diesel vehicles is being spearheaded by AAP for whom taxi drivers are not really a vote base unlike auto rickshaw drivers. BJP is eerily silent on the issue, having more important things to do like regulating porn.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/anyone-for-a-taxi/article7517751.ece?css=print

According to conservative estimates, approximately 35,000 livelihoods swing between legality and criminal liability due to the diesel engines under the hoods of the vehicles which they drive on a daily basis across the NCR.

This, even as government sources admit that the service they provide significantly helps in checking the vacuum that exists in addressing the issue of last-mile connectivity, the police claim they struggle with the enforcement of the ban on a daily basis and industry experts argue diesel, as a fuel, is no longer as villainous an alternative than it was a decade ago.

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2015-05-15/news/62192305_1_diesel-vehicles-diesel-taxis-commercial-vehicles

Coming down heavily on app-based taxi service Ola for “taking the court for a ride” and “flouting all laws”, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday said it may uphold the Delhi government’s decision to ban all such services if the companies continued to operate without filing applications for fresh licences.
The court also emphasised that diesel-based commercial vehicles cannot be allowed to ply in the city under orders issued by the Supreme court and the National Green Tribunal to curb pollution levels.
- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/hc-slams-ola-this-is-not-your-cab-this-is-the-court/#sthash.tLPNrtDT.dpuf

Coming down heavily on app-based taxi service Ola for “taking the court for a ride” and “flouting all laws”, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday said it may uphold the Delhi government’s decision to ban all such services if the companies continued to operate without filing applications for fresh licences.
The court also emphasised that diesel-based commercial vehicles cannot be allowed to ply in the city under orders issued by the Supreme court and the National Green Tribunal to curb pollution levels.
- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/hc-slams-ola-this-is-not-your-cab-this-is-the-court/#sthash.tLPNrtDT.dpuf

The court was hearing a plea filed by Delhi resident Davinder Pal Singh against pollution caused by the "illegal" usage and plying of diesel taxis like Uber, Ola and TaxiForSure bearing All India Tourist Permit, as local taxis within the Delhi-NCR region.

http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/hc-slams-ola-this-is-not-your-cab-this-is-the-court/

Coming down heavily on app-based taxi service Ola for “taking the court for a ride” and “flouting all laws”, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday said it may uphold the Delhi government’s decision to ban all such services if the companies continued to operate without filing applications for fresh licences.

The court also emphasised that diesel-based commercial vehicles cannot be allowed to ply in the city under orders issued by the Supreme court and the National Green Tribunal to curb pollution levels.