
Indian capital bans fuel for old cars in anti-pollution bid
The city is regularly ranked one of the most polluted capitals globally with acrid smog blanketing its skyline every winter.
At the peak of the smog, levels of PM2.5 pollutants -- dangerous cancer-causing microparticles small enough to enter the bloodstream through the lungs -- surge to more than 60 times the World Health Organization's recommended daily maximum.
Petrol cars older than 15 years, and diesel vehicles older than 10, were already banned from operating on New Delhi's roads by a 2018 Supreme Court ruling.
But millions flout the rules.
According to official figures, over six million such vehicles are plying the city's streets.
The ban that came into force on Tuesday seeks to keep them off the roads by barring them from refuelling.
Police and municipal workers were deployed at fuel stations across Delhi, where number plate-recognising cameras and loudspeakers were installed.
"We have been instructed to call in scrap car dealers if such vehicles come in," said a traffic policeman posted at a fuelling station in the city.
From November, the ban will be extended to satellite cities around the capital, an area home to more than 32 million people.
A study in the Lancet medical journal attributed 1.67 million premature deaths in India to air pollution in 2019.
Each winter, vehicle and factory emissions couple with farm fires from surrounding states to wrap the city in a dystopian haze.
Cooler temperatures and slow-moving winds worsen the situation by trapping deadly pollutants.
Piecemeal government initiatives, such as partial restrictions on fossil fuel-powered transport and water trucks spraying mist to clear particulate matter from the air, have failed to make a noticeable impact.
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Khaleej Times
2 days ago
- Khaleej Times
Indian capital bans fuel for old cars in anti-pollution bid
India's capital banned fuel sales to ageing vehicles on Tuesday as authorities try to tackle the sprawling megacity's hazardous air pollution. The city is regularly ranked one of the most polluted capitals globally with acrid smog blanketing its skyline every winter. At the peak of the smog, levels of PM2.5 pollutants -- dangerous cancer-causing microparticles small enough to enter the bloodstream through the lungs -- surge to more than 60 times the World Health Organization's recommended daily maximum. Petrol cars older than 15 years, and diesel vehicles older than 10, were already banned from operating on New Delhi's roads by a 2018 Supreme Court ruling. But millions flout the rules. According to official figures, over six million such vehicles are plying the city's streets. The ban that came into force on Tuesday seeks to keep them off the roads by barring them from refuelling. Police and municipal workers were deployed at fuel stations across Delhi, where number plate-recognising cameras and loudspeakers were installed. "We have been instructed to call in scrap car dealers if such vehicles come in," said a traffic policeman posted at a fuelling station in the city. From November, the ban will be extended to satellite cities around the capital, an area home to more than 32 million people. A study in the Lancet medical journal attributed 1.67 million premature deaths in India to air pollution in 2019. Each winter, vehicle and factory emissions couple with farm fires from surrounding states to wrap the city in a dystopian haze. Cooler temperatures and slow-moving winds worsen the situation by trapping deadly pollutants. Piecemeal government initiatives, such as partial restrictions on fossil fuel-powered transport and water trucks spraying mist to clear particulate matter from the air, have failed to make a noticeable impact.


Khaleej Times
2 days ago
- Khaleej Times
India: Fuel ban on old vehicles in Delhi to boost automakers, govt revenue
New Delhi's fuel ban on diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years from July 1, 2025, is likely to deliver Rs4.5 trillion of gain to auto companies, auto importers, and government tax collections, according to a recent report by the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI). "If 1.8 million old vehicles are replaced by new cars with an average price of Rs1.5 million each, the total turnover for the auto industry would amount to Rs2.7 trillion," GTRI said. The report further adds that, with this replacement of old vehicles with the new ones, the central government will be able to collect approximately Rs13.5 trillion from GST and compensation cess, while the Delhi government would gain around Rs4.2187 trillion from road tax and diesel surcharges. GTRI also outlines that, "Real values will be at least 50 per cent higher as this data ignores the revenue to be collected on account of the replacement of 4.4 million two-wheelers." Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels. On the flip side, this rule of diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years will no longer be allowed to refuel at any petrol pump across the capital, will impose harsh costs on small businesses, informal sector workers, and middle-class families who still rely on older vehicles for mobility and livelihoods. Under this rule, Automated number-plate recognition (ANPR) cameras installed at fuel stations will enforce the rule by linking to the VAHAN database. Overall, this ban will affect an estimated 1.8 million four-wheelers and 4.4 million two-wheelers in the National Capital Region (NCR), which extends beyond Delhi into key urban centres like Noida, Gurugram and Ghaziabad. The GTRI report suggests that India should modernise its vehicle fleet without crushing the poor. It must adopt the best practices of Europe and the U.S. -- build rigorous, transparent emission-testing systems and phase in green zones rather than impose a blanket age cut-off. In most major countries, there is generally no outright ban on older vehicles based purely on age. Instead, governments use a mix of stricter emissions standards, roadworthiness checks, and economic disincentives to phase out old, high-polluting vehicles.


Zawya
7 days ago
- Zawya
India mulls easing fuel efficiency norms for small cars sought by Suzuki, sources say
India is considering relaxing fuel efficiency norms for small cars after lobbying by Maruti Suzuki, which has seen sales of such cars drop amid an SUV boom, industry and government sources told Reuters. Small cars have been key to Maruti's success in India and account for most of its sales there. However, declining demand for small models, such as Alto or Wagon-R, has driven their share in the carmaker's sales to less than 50% of the 1.7 million cars it sold last fiscal year from nearly two-thirds two years ago. India is also concerned about falling sales of small, affordable cars, according to a senior government official, and the country's top carmaker recently made the case for more favourable fuel emission norms arguing slumping sales will hurt overall growth of the passenger vehicle market. "There should be more benefit for small cars. Maruti has been asking for that and we agree," the official said, explaining the rationale behind the planned move. Under its Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency norms, India currently links the quantity of permissible carbon dioxide emissions to the vehicle's weight for all cars weighing less than 3,500 kg (7,716 lb). The planned easing would relax such limits for cars weighing less than 1,000 kg, three people said, without sharing specific details of the reduction. To meet the norms and avoid penalties, carmakers need to sell a certain percentage of low-emission models, mainly electric vehicles. Relaxing the limits for small cars, means less pressure to electrify them, which will benefit those with the larger share of such models in their lineup, they said. With 10 of its current 17 models weighing less than 1,000 kg, Maruti stands to gain the most. Other carmakers with at least one small model on sale include Hyundai Motor , JSW MG Motor, Renault and Toyota Motor. India's ministry of heavy industries did not respond to a request seeking comment. Maruti did not respond to an email seeking comment, but its Japanese parent Suzuki Motor said in a 2024 sustainability report that small cars were good for the environment not just because of their lower emissions but also because fewer materials and less energy were needed to make them. In a closed-door meeting on June 17, the ministry asked carmakers, including Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra and Volkswagen, if they agreed to give small cars more leeway in the next set of fuel efficiency norms that will apply from April 2027, three people said. The companies are yet to respond, but any preferential treatment will be a departure from a previously agreed consensus and could be seen as giving Maruti an unfair advantage, four sources said. Tata, Mahindra, Volkswagen, Hyundai, JSW MG Motor and Toyota also did not respond to emails seeking comment. Renault's country head, Venkatram Mamillapalle, said the company is confident that India's auto trade body will "represent the collective voice of the industry ... that benefits all stakeholders". Four people familiar with the matter said that applying different norms based on a car's weight or size has not come up during months of consultations between the government and automakers.