NGT issues notice over teacher’s plea to ban sales of Volkswagen cars

The National Green Tribunal today issued notice on a petition that had prayed for a ban on manufacture as well as sale of Volkswagen vehicles in India, citing flagrant violations of emission norms..The plea, filed by a school teacher Saloni Ailawadi, has criticised the manufacturing giant, alleging that the company has been making vehicles that “produce nitrogen oxide nine times higher than the prescribed limit”..It further seeks a direction of banning the manufacture, assembling and sale of Volkswagen vehicles in India until they prescribe to the emission limits of the country..The matter came up for hearing today before a Bench headed by Justice Swatanter Kumar who, at first expressed an inability to do anything about the issue..“How can we entertain this matter in our jurisdiction? How can we ban the sale of their vehicles altogether?”.However when the Petitioner’s counsel submitted that the bigger issue here was the company’s conduct leading to air pollution which was something that the tribunal ought to take cognizance of, the Bench proceeded to issue notice to an array of parties impleaded in the petition..The NGT has now sought replies from the Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Central Pollution Control Board, Volkswagen India Pvt Ltd, Skoda Auto India Private Limited and Volkswagen Group Sales India Private Limited..This is not the first instance when Volkswagen has been pulled up by Indian authorities over its vehicles flouting emission standards. The Govt had previously issued a notice to the company after the Automotive Research Association of India had discovered ‘significant aberrations’ in the on-road emission levels of some of the company’s diesel cars.