The Supreme Court on Tuesday gave the Delhi government a two-day deadline to submit a detailed plan on phasing out diesel cabs in the National Capital Region. This was after the Aam Aadmi Party government said it needs two days to meet representatives of stake holders before a plan can be formulated, reported PTI.

The Delhi government earlier said that the ban enforced by the court on diesel-run taxis in the city is causing inconvenience to the people. More than 500 drivers of diesel cabs continued to block key roads connecting Delhi to Noida and Gurgaon for the second consecutive day, causing major traffic jams.

The Centre also plans to request the Supreme Court to reconsider the ban. The government took the decision to intervene at an inter-ministerial meeting, attended by Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, Heavy Industries Minister Anant Geete and Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar.

“The government has decided to request the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision. The ban has created an unprecedented situation as thousands of taxis getting off road and people facing severe hardship,” Gadkari said. The Union minister said that there were reports of immediate job losses to the tune of thousands owing to the ban. He added that the restriction has resulted in serious commuting problems in the NCR, and that lack of a safe mode of transport will also pose security threats to professionals who work late hours in the region.

On Saturday, the Supreme Court had said it "cannot keep extending" the deadline for taxis to switch to the greener fuel, and that it was their prerogative to make the change. The previous deadline was March 31.