Delhi HC seeks government reply on CNG kits

New Delhi: On a plea seeking recall of spurious CNG kits, the Delhi high court has sought the reply of the Centre and the AAP government on a plea alleging that a large number of CNG kits, made without following the stringent safety standards, are flooding the market causing increase in pollution and endangering human life.

Justice Manmohan also issued notice to the Centre, the Delhi government, a CNG kit manufacturer and importers and a testing agency notified by the Centre seeking their reply by January 20 next year. The court was hearing a plea by Society For Alternate Fuel and Environment (Safe), which has alleged that the government has decided to go easy on many manufacturers and importers of CNG kits and brush aside their criminal acts.

Advocate Kapil Sankhla, appearing for the society of the kit manufacturers and CNG retro-fitters in vehicles, submitted that the manufacturers have “defrauded the government and obtained exemption from following stringent safety standards which are mandatory for all the components installed in cars as per Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, including CNG regulators which are essential components of CNG kits installed in cars.” “By this act, the perpetrators of the unlawful acts have managed to flood the market with spurious CNG kits, thus causing massive increase in pollution and endangering life of the man on the road,” the plea said. The counsel further submitted that “unlawful and illegal acts by certain manufacturers and importers of CNG kits, brings to light glaring corruption and inadequacies in the working of testing agencies which are statutorily designated by the Centre as well as complicity of officials of both the government.” Urging the court to “recall spurious kits from across the country”, the petitioner said that the cars are like a bomb on roads and is posing a serious threat to public safety. The plea sought direction to the authorities concerned to undertake a comprehensive enquiry into the genuineness and veracity of exemption certificates granted to manufacturers of CNG kits/components.