Atishi urges CM to pass law to protect old vehicles

Hans India

4 hours ago

Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Atishi on Friday wrote to Chief Minister Rekha Gupta urging her to bring a law to protect 10-year-old diesel and 15-year-old petrol vehicles from being scrapped, warning that the proposed blanket ban would adversely impact at least 60 lakh vehicle owners in the city.
In her letter, Atishi said, "Even though the plan that started on July 1 was rolled back after a public backlash, now another deadline of November 1 looms over residents. If implemented, this decision will affect around 20 lakh four-wheelers and 40 lakh two-wheelers in Delhi."
She criticised the government's approach, saying that for Delhi's middle-class families, owning a car is an aspirational milestone.
"Many people purchase second-hand vehicles or retain older cars for personal and family use. Removing 60 lakh vehicles in one go will severely impact their lives. Affording a new vehicle is not a viable option for most," the AAP leader said. The former CM also questioned the logic of using vehicle age as the sole criterion for scrapping.
'There might be cars that are just 3-4 years old but are polluting, and others that are 10-12 years old but well-maintained. A blanket ban is illogical and only benefits car manufacturers and scrappers,' she said.
While acknowledging the need to address pollution, Atishi said that enforcing a blanket ban is not the solution and called for a legislative route instead. She urged the BJP-led Delhi government to convene a special session of the Vidhan Sabha to debate and pass a bill protecting end-of-life vehicles.