Says Chandigarh Administration in response to a PIL seeking mandatory use of CNG, LPG for public vehicles

In response to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by a city resident seeking directions to make the use of CNG or LPG mandatory for public vehicles in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, the Chandigarh Administration has said that there is no vehicular or industrial pollution in the city.

Terming the PIL filed by Jatinder Moudgill as misconceived, the Administration has stated that it is keen and willing to introduce alternative mode of fuel for public vehicles. To make CNG available in Chandigarh, however, a dedicated supply line is required to be laid by the Government of India, which is likely to take up to five years.

The infrastructure of supply of CNG is to be provided by the Ministry of Petroleum and thus, without availability of sufficient supply of CNG, it is not feasible to restrict vehicles to use CNG only, the Administration has added.

Counsel for the UT Administration stated: “Till a supply line for CNG is laid down and it is made available, it is not feasible to restrict vehicles from using diesel or petrol.” Calling the PIL and the comparison of Chandigarh with cities like Ludhiana and Delhi by the petitioner as misplaced, the reply of the Administration reads: "While no part of the country can afford to relax vigil in the matter of ecology and environmental pollution, any attempt to equate Chandigarh with other cities is neither supported by any expert study or analysis of the specific situation obtaining in Chandigarh nor vindicated by the actual position on the ground."

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