Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar told the bench headed by Chief Justice of India T S Thakur, which has been hearing the PIL to control alarming pollution, that the ban would adversely affect their work.
Supporting the BPOs in the national capital, the Centre on Thursday told the Supreme Court that a blanket ban on diesel taxis in the Delhi-NCR region could cost the country $1.2 billion because it would badly hit the flourishing BPO sector.
After Delhi government's plea to extend the deadline for conversion of diesel-run taxis to CNG, the Central government told the Apex Court that the BPOs may move their operations out of India.
Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar told the bench headed by Chief Justice of India T S Thakur, which has been hearing the PIL to control alarming pollution, that the ban would adversely affect their work.
"The ban would affect the business generated by inter-city cabs engaged by the BPOs to ferry employees and this could cost India $1.2 billion," Kumar said, adding that the Centre will soon be filing an application on the issue because it also pertains to the safety of BPO employees.
Last week, Justice Thakur's bench banned taxis that run on diesel from plying on NCR's roads. Diesel cab operators had been given a deadline of April 30 to convert their vehicles into ones that run on CNG.
When the court asked why BPOs can't engage CNG buses to ferry employees, the Centre said CNG buses can't enter small lanes and by-lanes so they can't be used to ferry women employees to their doorstep at night.
The Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) told the court that it is in consultation with the city government and the diesel taxis could be phased out over the next five years.
The EPCA said that diesel cabs, which are not permitted to ply in Delhi and NCR, are also being affected by the ban as they have an all-India permit to travel to destinations across the country where CNG is not available.
The green body also suggested that from now only petrol and CNG cabs should be registered.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "traffic")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}