Delhi govt reverses fuel ban on old vehicles
The ban, which came into effect on July 1, aimed to deny fuel to diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years in an effort to combat air pollution.
Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa confirmed the decision, stating that the "End-of-Life" (EOL) vehicle policy would be put on hold until further notice. He acknowledged several "unresolved issues" and "technological challenges" that rendered the immediate enforcement impractical and caused significant inconvenience to citizens.
The initial policy, based on a directive from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), mandated petrol pumps to cease refueling such vehicles.Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras were installed at fuel stations to identify and deny fuel.
However, reports quickly emerged of malfunctioning sensors, difficulties in reading High Security Registration Plates (HSRP), and a lack of seamless integration with vehicle data from neighboring NCR regions like Gurugram, Faridabad, and Ghaziabad.
Minister Sirsa highlighted that the government remains committed to reducing pollution but will not "inconvenience citizens through hasty enforcement." He further suggested that any future ban should be based on actual pollution levels of a vehicle rather than merely its age, and emphasised the need for a uniform application across the entire National Capital Region (NCR) to prevent vehicle owners from simply refueling in adjacent cities without such restrictions.
The sudden enforcement had led to a surge of public criticism from vehicle owners, transport unions, and opposition parties, many of whom argued that the measure was arbitrary, disproportionate, and unfairly impacted those who maintained their older vehicles well. With over 62 lakh
EOL vehicles in Delhi
, including a substantial number of two-wheelers, the policy had the potential to severely disrupt daily commutes and livelihoods.6
The Delhi High Court had also issued notices to the Delhi government and CAQM on a plea by the Delhi Petrol Dealers Association, which deemed the enforcement unfair and unworkable for private operators.7
For now, the rollback offers temporary relief to thousands of vehicle owners in Delhi. The government's focus is now expected to shift towards addressing the technical hurdles and developing a more balanced and inclusive approach to tackle vehicular pollution in the capital.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
‘How do we earn a living?': On strike, Karkardooma Court lawyers oppose shifting of digital courts
Protesting the decision to shift the judges of 34 digital NI Act (Negotiable Instruments Act) courtrooms that hear cheque bounce cases from six court complexes in Delhi to the Rouse Avenue court complex, lawyers at the Karkardooma Court complex decided to abstain from work for a fifth day straight on Friday. The lawyers have been on a hunger strike for the last two days. 'First, our labour courts were shifted, now our cheque bounce courts have been shifted…we are not fancy lawyers. How do we earn a living?' advocate V K Singh, president of the Shahdara Bar Association (SBA), told The Indian Express. 'All the lawyers in our courts are people residing in the Trans Yamuna (areas). Some of us barely get Rs 20-30,000 for an entire case. Many of us are dependent on cheque bounce cases. Is this justice at your doorstep? Things were running smoothly… but now we are all anxious,' Singh said. Of the 34 courtrooms, nine are from Dwarka, seven from Tis Hazari, six from Saket, five from Karkardooma Court, four from Rohini, and three from Patiala House Court. While the judges of the respective courtrooms will be shifted to Rouse Avenue Court, the court staff (readers, ahlmads and stenographers) will continue to operate from their respective districts. The rooms for the 34 judges have been allocated on the seventh floor of the Rouse Avenue court complex, which is situated near the ITO Metro station in Central Delhi. Earlier, the coordination committee of all district court bar associations had decided to abstain from work. On June 7, however, they called off their strike after the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court assured them in a meeting that all digital courts would function strictly as digital platforms only and that all the remaining proceedings and judicial work would be conducted exclusively in the regular local courts. In a May 30 notification, the Delhi High Court, which is behind the move, cited 'optimal utilisation of available infrastructure and resources' and 'inadequate space' to justify the shift of digital cheque bounce courts. 'The remaining arrangement, including support staff deployment and recording of evidence from the respective District Court Complexes, shall continue as per the previous directions/practice until adequate and permanent space is made available in the District Courts concerned to which these Digital NI Act Courts ultimately belong,' the notification dated May 30 read. 'However, these Courts shall continue to be under the administrative control /supervision/ jurisdiction of the districts concerned to which these courts belong. The readers, ahlmads, and judicial records of these Digital NI Act Courts would also continue to function from their original districts so as to avoid any inconvenience to the litigants, lawyers, and stakeholders,' the notification added. This notification was not enough to quell the anxiety of the lawyers in Northeast Delhi's Karkardooma Courts. 'Shifting of digital courts for lack of infrastructure violates the territorial jurisdiction jurisprudence,' said advocate Paras Jain, who practises in Karkardooma Court. 'If any litigant or advocate wants to report anything of emergent nature physically to the judge, they will not be able to communicate this…there is still confusion as to how evidence will be recorded before the judge sitting at Rouse Avenue Court,' he added. 'Lack of virtual facilities also creates gaps between the judges and litigants.' In a notice dated July 4, the lawyers of SBA decided to abstain from work on Saturday. 'It has been unanimously resolved by the Executive Committee of Shahdara Association (Regd.)., to abstain from work on 04.07.2025 in Karkardooma Courts, Delhi,' the notice read. 'It is further resolved that the Executive Committee of Shahdara Bar Association (Regd)., and its members shall continue the Hunger Strike from 05.07.2025 near Facilitation Center as a mark of protest against shifting of Digital Court, N.I. Act,' it added. 'Hence, all lawyers are requested to Co-operate & not to appear before any court either physically or virtually. In case any lawyer is found appearing physically or virtually in any court strict action shall be initiated against him/her,' the notice stated with a request urging judges to cooperate and not pass any adverse orders. Of the 15 lakh pending cases—2 lakh civil and 13 lakh criminal—across the capital's lower courts, 4.5 lakh, or over 30 per cent, are cheque bounce claims.
India Today
2 hours ago
- India Today
5 steps the government should take to ensure a proper fitness test for old vehicles
Delhi recently announced that it will stop dispensing fuel to End-of-Life vehicles. This means diesel cars over 10 years and everything else beyond 15 years old would no longer get fuel. Moreover, the vehicles in question would be seized on spot. After a major public backlash, the Government rolled back the Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa clarified that the government is working on an alternative system to manage vehicular pollution without compromising citizens' rights. 'We will not let Delhi's environment be harmed, nor will we permit the confiscation of vehicles owned by its residents,' Sirsa words of the Minister forward, we thought of talking about the possible solutions that would ensure that both the common man and the environment is taken care of Test Facilities The first thing to do is to create a very simple yet effective testing process for EoL vehicles. Much like we have seen in the United Kingdom, the Government should set up testing facilities all across the state. These facilities can also be created in existing service centres all across the state. This will ensure quick TestEach and every vehicle should go through a stringent test not just for emissions but overall condition of vehicle. Vintage and Classic automobiles should be allotted a separate for general vehicles should include an external test where the body work is checked and operation of various components are checked as well. This includes lights, mirrors, etc. The internal check should include operation of seat belts, instruments of the vehicle and also operation of door handles and emission test should be the most stringent. Modern equipment has to be installed that can test even new gen corruption at bayThe Certificate of Fitness test or CF Test has been prevalent across the country. However, the process is plagued by corruption. This then will be the biggest task for the Government. To ensure that the tests are carried out honestly, the entire sequence should be documented via an automated system. Once the vehicle has gone through the test, the system should generate a result that would declare if the vehicle has passed or of the CertificateThe Certificate of Fitness should be issued instantly with all the ratings for the said vehicle. It should be kept in the vehicle and simultaneously uploaded onto the main system that will ensure free passage for the of the testConsidering that the test will be quite a complex one, the Government decides on the cost. However, it should nowhere be process will ensure that the humble private vehicle or its owner is not penalised for driving their well maintained car. It will also further ensure that owners take good care of their vehicles if they intend to retain it for long to Auto Today Magazine- EndsMust Watch
Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
No fuel to ELVs in Delhi: Enforcement ends, but CAQM's order awaited
A day after the Delhi government requested the rollback of a controversial directive to deny fuel to end-of-life vehicles (ELVs), the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) was yet to issue a formal statement withdrawing the order till late on Friday. The enforcement of the policy, however, has quietly stopped and fuel is now being sold to all vehicles and impounding drives have ceased. Petrol pump dealers say they have resumed normal operations, giving fuel to all vehicles in the absence of clear instructions. (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO) Senior CAQM officials, who were reportedly occupied with high-level meetings on stubble burning with the Punjab and Haryana governments over the past two days, are expected to take a final call on the matter after the weekend, officials familiar with the matter said. 'We have just received the letter from the Delhi government. Any decision that will be taken will be communicated accordingly,' a CAQM official said on Friday, asking not to be identified. The delay has created a policy vacuum: while there is no active enforcement, the order still technically stands. Petrol pump dealers say they have resumed normal operations, giving fuel to all vehicles in the absence of clear instructions. 'With enforcement teams withdrawn and the government itself opposing the crackdown, there's no point in denying fuel to anyone,' said Nishchal Singhania, president of the Delhi Petrol Dealers Association. The Delhi government has, for the time being, stopped any coercive action like impounding of ELVs from fuel stations, environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said. The government has communicated to CAQM that it is not feasible to implement the denial of fuel to ELVs at petrol pumps due to implementation issues such as the Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras facing technical glitches, system not integrated with the database of neighbouring NCR states, Sirsa said on Friday. 'Currently, the crackdown is on hold because the government has faced implementation issues about which we have already informed the CAQM. We are waiting for its further directions,' Sirsa told HT. The Delhi government had started enforcing CAQM's order on July 1, targeting petrol vehicles older than 15 years and diesel vehicles older than 10 years, in accordance with Supreme Court guidelines. On the first day, 98 such vehicles were identified at fuel stations, of which 80 were impounded. But by the second day, amid public outrage, only seven of the 78 identified ELVs were seized. But faced with implementation challenges and rising criticism, the Delhi government on the third day of the crackdown wrote to CAQM, urging withdrawal of the directive. Despite this pause in enforcement, transport department officials stressed that the legal status of these vehicles remains unchanged under Supreme Court orders. 'Over 6.9 million vehicles have been de-registered, and they continue to be considered ELVs. The current suspension only affects the round-the-clock deployment at petrol stations, not the broader legal position,' a transport official said, adding that enforcement may resume in the future. On Thursday, chief minister Rekha Gupta had acknowledged the hardship caused by the enforcement. 'In view of the difficulties being faced by the citizens of Delhi, our government has written to the CAQM requesting that the decision of not providing fuel to ELVs be reconsidered,' she posted on X, noting that the move was affecting the 'daily lives and livelihoods of millions.' CAQM had earlier cited the VAHAN database to justify the policy, estimating 6.2 million ELVs in Delhi, including 4.1 million two-wheelers and 1.8 million four-wheelers. However, government officials later clarified that this number includes vehicles that are already scrapped, de-registered, or issued no-objection certificates to be sold outside the NCR. A senior official familiar with the data said the actual number of ELVs still operating on Delhi roads is likely closer to 600,000—just 10% of the figure cited by CAQM. Delhi's total vehicle population is around 8.1 million, according to the Delhi Statistical Handbook 2004.
