'Premature, ...counterproductive': Delhi government says fuel ban not feasible
The request came through a letter sent by Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, who reiterated the government's support for air pollution mitigation but called the fuel ban 'premature and potentially counterproductive.'
The ban, mandated under CAQM's Direction No. 89 dated April 23, came into effect on July 1 and prohibits petrol stations from refuelling vehicles that are 10 years or older for diesel and 15 years or older for petrol, as per existing court orders.
Sirsa told the media on Thursday that the ban has sparked anger among residents. 'People are unhappy. The government is with them,' he said, placing the blame for 'rigid norms' on the previous AAP government.
According to Sirsa's letter, the enforcement via Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems has exposed 'crucial operational and infrastructural shortcomings.'
These include malfunctioning sensors and cameras, incomplete integration with databases of neighbouring states, and the system's inability to detect vehicles with missing or faulty High Security Registration Plates (HSRP).
TNIE had highlighted these operational and implementation issues in a detailed report on May 30, after visiting over a dozen fuel pumps.
The minister also argued that unless the ban is implemented uniformly across the entire National Capital Region (NCR), it risks pushing vehicle owners to procure fuel from neighbouring districts such as Gurugram or Ghaziabad, potentially creating an underground fuel economy.
Sirsa said the Delhi government is already executing a multi-pronged pollution control strategy, from massive tree plantation drives to stricter Pollution Under Control (PUC) norms and trials of cloud seeding.
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