Maharashtra Govt forms committee to ban petrol/diesel cars in Mumbai

Mumbai has been facing worsening air quality recently, experiencing a 12% increase in its Air Quality Index since 2020, making traffic congestions, growing infrastructure projects and increasing pollution a significant health concern.

The Maharashtra Government is considering banning petrol and diesel vehicles in Mumbai to tackle the city’s worsening air quality.

The State Government has formed a seven-member committee with the view to study the possibility of imposing a ban on petrol and diesel vehicles and allowing only electric and CNG vehicles in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, in order to protect the environment as well as public health.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) doesn’t include the Mumbai District and extends to include neighbouring districts like Thane, Raigad and Palghar.

Committee

The Maharashtra Govt has appointed this committee under retired IAS officer, Mr Sudhir Kumar Shrivastava to explore the possibility of imposing a ban on petrol and diesel vehicles in the state (Source). This committee shall also include other key officials such as:

• Maharashtra’s transport commissioner,
• Mumbai’s Joint Police Commissioner (traffic),
• Joint Transport Commissioner (enforcement-1),
• Managing Director of Mahanagar Gas,
• Project Manager of the Maharashtra State Power Distribution Company (Mahavitaran)
• The President of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).

The government has also granted the committee authority and the power to include experts of the field as additional members to seek their feedback on the same.

Reason why the Maharashtra government is considering banning petrol, and diesel vehicles in Mumbai

This decision comes following a recent directive from the Bombay High Court, which stated that vehicular emissions in particular are a leading cause and major contributor to the city’s increasing pollution.

The High Court also pointed out that existing measures to control traffic congestion and pollution in the city were proving to be insufficient and directed the State to conduct a study to explore phasing out petrol and diesel vehicles and transitioning to cleaner transportation like CNG and electric vehicles. Read more about Electric Cars vs CNG Cars: Pros, Cons, and Sustainability.

The State government has constituted this committee acting on the court’s directives. The proposed committee is expected to research, evaluate and submit their findings and suggestions within three months on the same.

Final thoughts

In conclusion, the proposed committee aims to assess and report the feasibility as well as the potential impact of the ban and suggest adequate implementation methods while addressing existing vehicle concerns.

Notably, the proposed ban is going to significantly impact both manufacturers as well as consumers due to the limited electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the country. However, growing pollution concerns make the proposed committee’s findings important in shaping the State’s transition to sustainable mobility.