MUMBAI: The western Indian state of Maharashtra has formed a panel to study a proposal to ban petrol and diesel vehicles in Mumbai city amid worsening air quality and only allow electric or gas driven vehicles, it said in an order.

Any ban on petrol, diesel vehicles in the financial capital, if implemented, may not only impact automobile manufacturers, but also citizens and businesses which rely heavily on these vehicles amid inadequate electric vehicle charging infrastructure and still developing metro rail networks.

The city, home to the country’s stock exchanges and offices of several global banks and multinationals, has seen air quality worsen since the pandemic amid growing traffic congestion and several ongoing infrastructure and construction projects. Maharashtra’s government said it has formed a seven-member committee to study the proposal of banning petrol and diesel vehicles and only allowing electric and compressed natural gas vehicles in the Mumbai metropolitan region following a court directive.