New Delhi, Nov 4 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre, Delhi other NCR states for a compliance update on its direction over the use of hologram-based colour coded stickers in vehicles.
A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih while hearing a PIL over air pollution in Delhi and adjoining areas, said its December 13, 2023 direction to strictly enforce of the scheme for hologram-based colour coded stickers for vehicles had not been complied with.
“We direct all the NCR states to report compliance by filling affidavits within one month from today,” the bench directed.
The NCR states include Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
In 2018, the top court accepted the proposal of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) which envisaged that hologram-based light blue stickers would be used in vehicles using petrol and CNG whereas diesel-run vehicles would have orange stickers. These stickers were also supposed to include the date of registration of the vehicle.
Following the order of the apex court, the Centre had amended Rule 50 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 and High Security Registration Plate (HSRP) order of 2001 to give legal recognition to the scheme of hologram-based stickers.
Senior advocate Aprajita Singh, who has been appointed the amicus curiae, submitted that more than 50 per cent of the vehicles plying the Delhi-NCR roads did not have colour-coded stickers.
The colour-coded sticker scheme was initially suggested by the amicus curiae to enable identification of vehicles and restrict vehicles using bad quality fuel during the “poor category” pollution days.
Additional Solicitor General Archana Pathak Dave, appearing for the Centre, said the MoRTH had written to all the states for compliance of the December 13, 2023 order of the apex court.
The bench subsequently directed all states to report on their compliance with the apex court’s orders on colour-coded stickers for vehicles.
The top court further directed the MoRTH to hold a meeting with the secretaries of the transport departments of all the states and union territories along with the transport commissioners for ensuring compliance with the orders of the court. The hearing has been posted on January 3, 2025.
On December 13, 2023, the top court noted that of about 27 lakh vehicles in Delhi, colour-coded stickers were put on 17-18 lakh vehicles. It directed the Delhi government to ensure all the vehicles incorporated these stickers to possibly help in checking air pollution.
On August 13, 2018, the top court, in a first, gave its nod to the Centre’s proposal of hologram-based colour coded stickers of multiple colours indicating the nature of fuel they were using.
It had suggested the MoRTH, to consider having green-colour number plates or green stickers for electric and hybrid vehicles.
The amicus had earlier informed the court that colour-coded stickers, as used in Paris, would help in tackling air pollution which would be more effective than having an “odd-even” vehicle rotation scheme in Delhi.
The issue of colour-coded stickers for vehicles had cropped up when the apex court was hearing a matter relating to air pollution in Delhi-NCR. PTI MNL MNL AMK AMK
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