NEW DELHI, May 22:
The Supreme Court Court today sought response from Himachal Pradesh Government on a plea challenging the order of green tribunal banning the entry of all diesel and petrol tourist vehicles in Rohtang pass till August 14 and limiting the number of vehicles entering the area to 1,000 per day.
A vacation bench comprising Justices A K Sikri and U U Lalit issued notices to the concerned department of state government and posted the hearing on May 26 on an appeal filed by a taxi union.
The bench said no interim order for maintaining status quo could be passed without hearing other sides.
Him-Aanchal Taxi Operators Union through senior advocate Vibha Dutt Makhija submitted that the order of National Green Tribunal (NGT) was coming in the way of not only taxi operators but also the middle class tourists.
She submitted that the order has come at the peak season and the tourists who cannot afford vacation in foreign countries were the worst sufferers of the NGT order.
On the direction of the green panel that all vehicles would be subjected to pollution check and get certificates at the check post for complying with BS-IV standards, she said such fuel was not available in any petrol pump in the state.
The union has also approached the apex court against the environmental cess of Rs 2,500 on diesel vehicles and Rs 1,000 on petrol vehicles for each trip between Manali and Rohtang Pass.
Rohtang is a 13,400 feet high mountain pass on the eastern Pir Panjal Range of the Himalayas around 51 km from Manali and acts as the gateway to the remote district of Lahaul and Spiti from the picturesque Kullu Valley. (PTI)
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