CAQM ban on selling fuel to old vehicles from Nov 1 in Delhi, 5 NCR districts
These five districts are Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar and Sonipat.
The decision was taken in a general meeting held by CAQM on Tuesday afternoon, which included representatives of all NCR states. The status of the direction was also taken up for a review, following Delhi environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa's request to CAQM on Friday to put implementation of this direction on hold due to technical and infrastructural challenges.
'A decision has been taken to now enforce this direction in Delhi from November 1, alongside five other NCR districts. The decision was taken as the government had mentioned technical challenges. This will give them time to prepare,' a CAQM official said.
Also Read: 48 hours, 87 cars later, ELV seizure drive ends
The Delhi government had earlier said it would approach the Supreme Court to review the ban on ELVs – 10-year-old diesel vehicles and 15-year-old petrol vehicles in the national capital, arguing that real-world emissions and not age of vehicle should be the criteria to scrap old vehicles.
Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday reiterated the government's stand to approach the Supreme Court to seek relief on the ban on refuelling end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) in Delhi, citing enforcement difficulties. The government has reasoned that Delhi should have same parameters and regulations on ELVs as are enforced all over the country.
To be sure, 10-year-old diesel vehicles and 15-year-old petrol vehicles will still be considered ELVs and illegal on Delhi roads, based on a 2018 Supreme Court judgement and a 2014 National Green Tribunal order that prohibit the parking of ELVs in public spaces.
'It would have been a different situation if the order was enforced all over Delhi-NCR. If we don't give petrol in Delhi and NCR keeps providing them fuel, it is not possible. The government will echo the sentiments of the people before the Supreme Court,' Gupta said on Sunday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
33 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Ban on fuel to ‘end of life' vehicles in Delhi put on hold till November 1
The Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) on Tuesday deferred the ban on refuelling of overage or 'end of life' vehicles (ELVs) in Delhi to November 1. The prohibition will now come into effect in the national capital on the day it is scheduled to be enforced in the five adjoining 'high-vehicle-density' (HVD) districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar and Sonipat. The pollution control body had on April 23 announced a ban on the refuelling of overage vehicles — petrol vehicles older than 15 years and diesel vehicles older than 10 years — in Delhi from July 1. It had directed authorities to impound the ELVs. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa lauded the 'people-centric' decision. 'This is a big relief for thousands of citizens who were unfairly impacted. I thank the CAQM for acting swiftly on our concerns,' he said. The Minister added, 'Delhi will not tolerate selective and faulty enforcement. Unlike the previous governments that looted the city, our government is committed to protecting people's rights and dignity.' The development was also welcomed by fuel retailers and resident welfare associations (RWAs). Although the Delhi government had initially supported the directive, after facing public backlash, Mr. Sirsa had on July 3 written to the Centre's air quality monitoring panel, requesting that it put the directive on hold, as enforcing the prohibition would be 'premature and potentially counterproductive' due to 'operational and infrastructural challenges'. 'Address tech. issues' In its order, the CAQM allowed more time for the Delhi government 'to address the technological gaps in implementation of ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) system and align enforcement across the NCT of Delhi with the enforcement in five HVD districts of NCR i.e. Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar and Sonipat w.e.f. 01.11.2025'. The Central panel directed the transport departments of Delhi and the NCR States to conduct installation, trials, and training of the ANPR system ahead of the scheduled ban and ensure 'strict compliance [of the ban on refuelling of overage vehicles] through effective enforcement measures'. 'Have ample time' The Delhi Petrol Dealers Association said the decision by the CAQM will give retailers of the nearly 400 fuelling stations in the city ample time to implement the anti-pollution measure. 'It will allow the government to address technical issues and carry out trial runs at petrol pumps,' said Nischal Singhania, the DPDA president. Meanwhile, RWA representatives called for a relook at the definition of overage vehicles. 'Referring to private vehicles as 'overage' or 'end of life' without any pollution check does not make sense. A robust and transparent PUC (Pollution Under Control) system can keep polluting vehicles, new or old, away from the roads,' said B.S Vohra, president of the East Delhi Federation of RWAs.
The Hindu
44 minutes ago
- The Hindu
The ECI does not have unfettered powers
The Election Commission of India (ECI) ordered a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar, which will be facing Assembly elections in November. Political parties in the Opposition have alleged that the SIR is aimed at disenfranchising thousands of voters in Bihar by disqualifying them on the ground that they are not citizens of India. The ECI has denied this allegation and justified the revision. In the meantime, many petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the ECI's order. While the controversy centres on the motive behind this exercise being conducted just a couple of months before elections, especially when electoral rolls were revised in 2024, this article focuses on the legality of this exercise and the powers of the ECI to undertake it. Reasons for disqualification Article 326 of the Constitution declares that elections to the Lok Sabha and the Assemblies shall be held on the basis of adult suffrage. This means every adult person is entitled to be a voter provided they are not disqualified on certain specified grounds. There are two essential qualifications of being an elector under this Article: the person should be citizen of India and should be aged not less than 18. The Representation of the People Act (RPA), 1950, lays down disqualifications for registration as an elector. These are namely unsoundness of mind as declared by a competent court, and disqualification from voting as provided in Section 11A of the 1951 RPA. Conditions for registration as a voter are laid down in Section 19 of the RPA: the person should not be less than 18 years of age and they should be ordinarily resident in a constituency. The term 'ordinarily resident' is explained in Section 20, which says a person shall not be deemed to be ordinarily resident merely because they own or possess a dwelling house in that constituency. Also, a person does not cease to be ordinarily resident if they absent themselves temporarily from their ordinary place of residence. The ECI enjoys enormous powers in respect of the preparation of electoral rolls and the conduct of elections to Parliament, the State Legislatures, and to the offices of the President and Vice President. Article 324 of the Constitution, which empowers the ECI to undertake these tasks, is characterised by the Supreme Court as a 'reservoir of power'. Since the conduct of free and fair elections is an essential feature of the basic structure of the Constitution, the ECI needs to be vested with all the necessary powers to complete its task. Nevertheless, it is inconceivable that the Constitution should confer on any authority unfettered powers. The Supreme Court has made it clear that the ECI can exercise all powers in its discretion in areas which are not covered by any statute but shall act in accordance with the law wherever it exists. In Mohinder Singh Gill v. Chief Election Commissioner (1978), the Court stated the law as follows: 'Firstly when Parliament or any State Legislature has made valid law relating to or in connection with elections, the Commission shall act in conformity with, not in violation of, such provisions but where such law is silent, Article 324 is a reservoir of power to act for the avowed purpose of pushing forward a free and fair election with expedition.' The qualifying date Let us look at the relevant provisions of the the RPA to get a perspective on the powers of the ECI in regard to revision of the electoral rolls. Section 21 of the 1950 RPA deals with the preparation and revision of electoral rolls. It speaks of four stages of revisions: (1) before elections to the Lok Sabha or Assembly; (2) before each by-election; (3) on the direction of the ECI in any year; and (4) a special revision for a constituency or part of a constituency with the ECI recording reasons for doing so. All revisions except (4) are done with reference to a qualifying date, which, under Section 14, is the first day of January. The only exception is (4): no qualifying date is mentioned because it can be done any time. The ECI order of June 24 mentions the qualifying date as 01/07/2025 and is a direction under Section 21(2)(b) of the RPA. It can be assumed that the revision being done in Bihar is under the same Section. But under this provision, the qualifying date should be 01/01/2025. The revision then should have been done from January 1, 2025. The qualifying date mentioned in the ECI order has no sanction under the law. Similarly, the term 'special intensive revision' is not found in the law. The only case where a special revision can be ordered by the ECI at any time is in relation to a constituency or a part of it and not in relation to an entire State. Thus, it is reasonable to conclude that the SIR in Bihar is not in conformity with the provisions of the RPA. The ECI has claimed in its order that it has power under Section 21 to undertake the exercise. True, but that power is limited to a constituency or part of it under Section 21(3) of the Act. While enjoying enormous powers under Article 324, the ECI is responsible to the rule of law and should be amenable to the norms of natural justice as per the Supreme Court. Electoral registration officers cannot summarily reject applications on the ground that foolproof documents are not being furnished to prove citizenship. Rule 8 of the Registration of Electors Rules clearly state that information shall be furnished 'to the best of ability' of the citizens. The ECI cannot ignore this statutory stipulation.
India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
CJI Gavai felicitated by Maharashtra Assembly, hailed as
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 8 (ANI): Chief Justice of India Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai was felicitated by the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on Monday in recognition of his appointment as the country's 51st Chief Justice. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde hailed Gavai as a 'jewel of Maharashtra' and a symbol of justice for the marginalised. In his remarks at the event, Shinde said, 'He holds the highest position in the country--it's a joy, and he is a jewel of Maharashtra. He is the pinnacle of our nation's judicial system. He granted rights to Dalits, the oppressed and afflicted. When a true diamond falls, it shines wherever it lands.' Praising the judiciary's role in recent constitutional matters, Shinde referred to the Supreme Court's upholding of the revocation of Article 370, stating, 'Article 370 was removed by Amit Shah--many went to the Supreme Court, and in every judgment, a decision was delivered in accordance with social justice and the law. This will make the justice system even stronger.' CJI Gavai, on Saturday strongly supported the abrogation of Article 370, saying the abrogation was aligned with the ideology of Dr BR Ambedkar. Speaking at an event in Nagpur, CJI Gavai said, '... If the country wants to remain united, the country needs only one Constitution. A separate Constitution for a state was not in line with Babasaheb Ambedkar's ideology, so we unanimously accepted the decision (of abrogation of Article 370) taken by the Parliament, so that the country will be governed by only one constitution.' On August 5, 2019, the Centre decided to strip Jammu and Kashmir of its special status and divide it into two Union Territories. 'Babasaheb Ambedkar was criticised for our Constitution being too centralised... Babasaheb had replied to that criticism by saying... 'We are giving the country a Constitution suitable for all challenges, and I can assure you that it will keep the country united in times of war and peace.' Today, we are seeing in our 75-year journey what the situation around us is. Whenever this country has faced any crisis, it has remained united...' he told ANI. On Friday, Chief Justice of India Gavai also emphasised the importance of the Indian Constitution, stating that it has 'defined the boundaries' of the three branches of government: the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary. CJI Gavai highlighted that lawmaking is the responsibility of the legislature and state assemblies, while the executive functions within the framework of the Constitution and the law. Addressing the issue of 'judicial activism,' the CJI asserted that it is necessary for 'upholding' the Constitution and rights of the citizens. 'Judicial Activism is bound to stay, and it is necessary for the upholding of the Constitution and the upholding of the rights of citizens. At the same time, I am of the view that the Indian Constitution has defined the boundaries of its three wings, whether it is the Legislature, the Executive, or the Judiciary. The work of making laws belongs to the Legislature, whether it is the Parliament or the various State Assemblies. It is expected that the Executive functions according to the Constitution and the law', CJI BR Gavai said while addressing an event in Nagpur on Friday. However, CJI Gavai opined that despite 'judicial activism' being bound to stay in the judicial system, it should not be allowed to be converted into judicial adventurism or judicial terrorism. 'If the Judiciary tries to interfere in the Executive and Legislative fields in every matter, then I always say, though Judicial Activism is bound to stay, it should not be permitted to be converted into Judicial Adventurism and Judicial Terrorism', BR Gavai said. The Chief Justice further stated that when a law is enacted beyond the authority of Parliament or a State Assembly, and it violates constitutional principles, it is imperative for the judiciary to step in. 'When any law is made beyond the authority of Parliament or the Assembly, and it breaches the constitutional principles at that time, the Judiciary can step in', he said. (ANI)
