NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the Delhi government to apprise it within 30 days of the status of the formulation of a policy for the release of seized end-of-life vehicles to their owners.
The HC asked the govt after noting that it was flooded every day with at least 5-6 petitions by aggrieved people in the absence of a proper policy concerning seized end-of-life vehicles.
Also, the Court of Justice Jasmeet Singh observed that the Delhi government was trying its best within its limited resources to control pollution, but at the same time, it said that "the citizens cannot be harassed".
"This is troublesome. Don't harass the citizens. Every day I have five petitions," the judge said.
"The respondent (Delhi govt) shall file the status of the policy as directed within four weeks," the court said.
It passed the order to the Delhi govt to apprise it of the policy formulation on such seizure of vehicles at the end of their lives, on a contempt petition by the owner of an over 15-year-old petrol car, a "family heritage".
The Petitioner Sushma Prasad, in her plea, claimed that despite the order for the release of her car from the scrapper, the authorities had failed to do so.
The HC had asked the Delhi government to frame a policy for handling such vehicles, keeping in view the fact that these owners were willing to ensure that this seized expiry of end-of-life vehicles, should not be used in the national capital.
To this, the lawyer for the Delhi govt told the court that the policy was in the final stages and would be in the public domain soon.
