The Delhi government extended the permit validity for taxis that use CNG and other clean fuels up to 15 years on Tuesday. Earlier, a number of individuals and unions had petitioned the Delhi High Court to end the disparity in permit validity between the various types of taxis operating under the contract carriage permit (Delhi NCR).
According to an official statement released by the Delhi government, the Delhi High Court had given the Transport Department instructions to investigate the petitioner's complaints and provide appropriate instructions.
The statement said that the issue was looked into, and it turned out that taxis that use clean fuel and compressed natural gas (CNG) have different permits in the Delhi NCR.
According to the official statement, "Therefore, taking into consideration, all the factors and circumstances with respect to issuance/grant of Contract Carriage Delhi NCR Permit under Section 74 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and to maintain the uniformity, it is hereby ordered that henceforth, all the Taxies plying on CNG/Clean Fuel registered in Delhi possessing Contract Carriage (Delh) NCR) Permit, the validity of the permit shall remain valid for 15 years subject to fulfillment of all other prescribed conditions as stipulates in Motor Vehicle Act, 1988, CMVR, 1989 and DN1VR, 1993".
Meanwhile, the number of petrol, compressed natural gas, diesel, and hybrid (petrol/CNG) taxis registered annually in Delhi has significantly decreased over the past five years, according to the government's Vahan portal, which maintains a centralized database of all registered automobiles in India.
In 2018, motor cabs powered by gasoline, compressed natural gas (CNG), diesel, and hybrid vehicles (petrol/CNG) had a total of 6,570 annual registrations. However, registrations had significantly decreased to 9, 0, 20, and 2,575 by 2022.
Annual registrations for hybrid taxis decreased by more than 60% between 2018 and 2022.
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