Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, on October 3 announced that the government has agreed to farmers’ demand to keep tractors out of the list of banned vehicles by the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
Shekhawat reportedly said, “NGT’s order is that diesel vehicles more than 10 years old can’t enter Delhi NCR. Farmers demanded that their tractors are equipment of agriculture and should be kept out of vehicles’ list. Government agreed. Centre will make efforts with the government (Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana) of the region.”
Minister’s statement comes after farmers called off the Kisan Kranti Padyatra today morning. At least 30,000 farmers walked and travelled in tractors to Delhi as a part of the march which started on September 23 by the Bharatiya Kisan Union.
The green tribunal had on November 26, 2016, banned diesel vehicles in Delhi-NCR that are over 10 years old, saying “they are the prime source of air pollution in Delhi”.
