Multi-agency teams, police personnel to be deployed at fuel stations to oversee ban on refuelling of overage vehicles in Delhi from July 1
The measures include setting up joint teams of officials from the Transport Department, Traffic Police, and Municipal Corporation of Delhi and deploying them at fuel stations reporting high volume of visitors with overage vehicles.
Overage or 'end of life' vehicles are defined as petrol vehicles older than 15 years and diesel vehicles older than 10 years. The ban will come into effect in five National Capital Region districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar, and Sonipat from November 1 and across the NCR from April 1, 2026.
In a statement, the CAQM said that adequate police personnel, in addition to PCR vehicles, will be deployed near fuel stations in the Capital to prevent untoward incidents that may arise due to the denial of fuel.
The Centre's air pollution watchdog said that from June 1 to June 23, 77.8 lakh vehicles were screened through the Automatic Number Plate Recognition camera system, of which 1.36 lakh vehicles were identified as 'end of life'.
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Hans India
10 hours ago
- Hans India
Delhi enforces fuel ban on over-age vehicles
In a major move to combat air pollution, the Delhi government has enforced a strict fuel ban on 'end-of-life' (EoL) vehicles -- petrol vehicles older than 15 years and diesel vehicles older than 10 years -- from being refuelled at petrol pumps across the national capital. Authorities confirmed that two motorcycles have already been identified and seized under the new enforcement, and the vehicles will be scrapped in accordance with the official policy. The crackdown follows the alarming findings by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), whose November 2024 analysis found that vehicles contribute 51 per cent of pollution from all local emission sources in Delhi -- making them the single largest source of air pollution in the city. The Transport Department has implemented a multi-agency deployment plan involving the Delhi Police, Traffic Police, and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) personnel at strategically chosen petrol stations, particularly those with a high volume of old vehicles. Delhi Police officers have been assigned to petrol stations numbered 1 to 100, while the Transport Department has deployed 59 dedicated teams across stations numbered 101 to 159. One traffic police officer has been stationed at each of the 350 petrol pumps identified for monitoring refuelling activities, with two additional police personnel present at every station to maintain law and order during the drive. To support real-time detection, 498 fuel stations have been equipped with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras. These cameras, integrated with the national VAHAN database, automatically identify overage vehicles and alert fuel station operators. Once flagged, details of these vehicles are sent to enforcement teams for immediate action, including impounding and scrapping. Traffic Inspector Ashok Kumar, speaking to IANS, said, "According to the Delhi government's guidelines and directions from senior officers, EoL vehicles which are over 10 years diesel and over 15 years petrol will be acted upon. Four petrol pumps have been identified in the Parliament Street circle with ANPR cameras installed, and we have deployed our transport and local police staff there." "The ANPR cameras will detect the vehicle and trigger an alarm. Our staff has also been given e-Challan software. If any such vehicle is identified, the owner will be informed, and the vehicle will be seized as per procedure and handed over to the Risk-Based Supervisory Framework (RBSF)," he said. He further added, "From the data collected from four petrol pumps so far, we have seized two motorcycles older than 15 years and handed them over to registered scrap dealers. The vehicle owners can claim reimbursement directly from the scrapping authority."
Hindustan Times
15 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Just 123 vehicles detected as ELV crackdown starts
The first day of a crackdown on end of life vehicles (ELVs), estimated to run into millions, saw just 98 such vehicles detected at fuel stations in Delhi while some more were seized at the Noida border, transport department officials said on Tuesday. Police officers inspect a bike at a pump in Delhi. (Sanchit Khanna/HT) Starting 6 am, 80 ELVS were impounded in Delhi, officials said. These included 45 impounded by Delhi's transport department, 34 by the traffic police, and one by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). Officials did not clarify how many were two-wheelers or four-wheelers. The drivers of 18 other vehicles detected by Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras were allowed to leave with a no objection certificate and a fine, the officials said. A few drove off without stopping. Separately, the Noida police seized 25 vehicles during checks at the border with Delhi. Fuel station operators said that it seemed ELV owners were avoiding filling their vehicles in the Capital instead opting to go to neighbouring cities like Gurugram and Noida. The ELVs — petrol vehicles older that 15 years and diesel vehicles older that 10 years that have to be scrapped — were to be impounded on the spot and sent to a scrapping facility. There, these will be kept for 15 days, giving violators the chance to pay a fine and take the vehicle away -- to be sold outside NCR. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), citing the VAHAN database, had said Delhi has 6.2 million ELVS, which included 4.1 million two-wheelers and 1.8 million four-wheelers. However, officials said this figure includes de-registered vehicles, vehicles already scrapped and those having a no objection certificate that grants a year's time to sell these vehicles outside of NCR. An official aware of the matter said while an exact figure is unavailable, the actual number of ELVs plying on the roads may be around 600,000-- about 10% of the tally shared by CAQM. Excluding the scrapped, de-registered and NOC vehicles, Delhi has around 8.1 million vehicles, according to the Delhi Statistical Handbook 2004. Most owners use their ELVs only sporadically, opting to leave them parked, pointed out Amit Bhatt, Managing Director (India) at the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). 'This (drive) will mean these occasional uses will stop and the person will eventually have to scrap their vehicle. It also provides an opportunity for people to switch to electric vehicles,' he said. Dr S Velmurugan, chief scientist and head of traffic engineering division of Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) concurred. 'What we have to realise is that a lot of these vehicles, mostly two-wheelers, were de-registered and people seldom use them. They just keep them parked at home, or in case of two-wheelers, use them for small trips such as getting groceries from the market. This new ban will mean they will not be able to ply...,' he said, stating while data on the number of ELV plying was unavailable, around 50% are likely still be making such trips in Delhi or NCR. 'The move will mean people either have to switch to public transport, or rely on cab aggregators. While we do not have adequate buses, our metro can handle an additional 15-17% load. We also know a number of people will have a second car or two-wheeler, so that may mean there is little impact on Delhi's roads in terms of traffic density,' he added. Transport expert and former CEO of World Resources Institute (WRI) India OP Agarwal said since most of these vehicles are lying parked in neighbourhoods around the city, street-level action would be required. 'I have seen such vehicles in my neighbourhood too, which are gathering dust and are never moved. The problem is a lot of people are still unaware of how to get vehicles scrapped,' said Agarwal, stating the transport department should do awareness drives. On Tuesday, HT also came across vehicles at fuelling pumps that would soon have to be scrapped. Aman Jha (45), the owner of a 14-year-old petrol car, said while he understood the urgency of the move, however, for the middle class, it is a challenge to buy a new vehicle. 'I bought my car in January 2011 and it will complete 15 years next year in January. I cannot afford to buy another car right now, which is why I have taken so much care of this car. It is in excellent condition and I feel really helpless that this car will be scrapped,' he said. Nischal Singhania, president of Delhi Petrol Dealers Association, said that fuel pumps located on or close to the Uttar Pradesh and Haryana borders witnessed around a 10-15% drop in sales. 'The ban created fear among most of the vehicle owners who usually refilled at the border fuel stations in Delhi, and many of them preferred to refill their vehicles from fuel stations located in neighbouring cities, such as Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad, and Faridabad. The ban will be more effective if the government enforces it across Delhi and NCR,' Singhania said.
Hindustan Times
16 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Day 1 of fuel ban for ELVs goes off smoothly in Delhi
NEW DELHI On the day, enforcement agencies identified 98 ELVs and seized 80 of them. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo) A game of cat-and-mouse enveloped Delhi's fuel stations on Day 1 of the ban on fuel sales to end-of-life vehicles (ELVs), as bikers unaware of the ban tried to flee when the automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras red-flagged their vehicles and police chased after them to impound their vehicles. The move comes on a CAQM directive dated April 23, seeking to curb the operation of ELVs to curb pollution, in line with orders issued by the National Green Tribunal and the Supreme Court. Staffers at an Indian Oil fuel station in Lajpat Nagar, near the PGDAV College, said three ELVs visited their station by Tuesday afternoon, but two of them fled when their vehicles were flagged. Ravi Anand, an attendant at the station, said, 'One ELV petrol vehicle was towed away for scrapping when it was identified. Two more fled when they were recognised, and they realised their vehicles would be towed away. Police are patrolling the area, and cameras have been installed at the petrol pump.' Another staffer, who refused to be named, said, 'We have also been conducting surprise checks on cars and bikes that look very old. When a biker was caught, he tried to give excuses and also tried to leave, but the policemen had already surrounded him. They took his details, gave him a challan and let him go.' On the day, enforcement agencies identified 98 ELVs and seized 80 of them. HT, in spot checks at multiple locations, found joint teams of the transport department, traffic police and civic bodies deployed at the stations. Traffic personnel at an Indian Oil fuel station in Amar Colony said they had been deployed at the site since 6am, and by late afternoon, they seized two ELVs—a motorbike and a scooter. 'We did not have to check each vehicle manually. The ANPR camera scans all the vehicles that come here, records their registration plate number and processes it. The data is run through the VAHAN database, and we get updates in real time via the public address speaker. This was the case in both seizures,' said Anwar Khan, the manager of the petrol pump. Staffers across fuel stations HT visited said they were given 'strict' directions to look for old vehicles that may be ELVs and question vehicle owners. 'Even we didn't know what was happening till today. Now, police have told us that action will be taken against us if we let 10-15 year old vehicles go,' a staffer at the fuel station said. At an Indian Oil fuel station in Kalkaji, opposite the Nehru Place bus terminal, staff said one offender was caught, as of afternoon. A staffer at the station, on the condition of anonymity, said, 'On Monday night, we were told to paste posters informing everyone that petrol vehicles older than 15 years and diesel vehicles older than 10 years will not be allowed to fill fuel.' At an Indian Oil Petrol Pump in west Delhi's Rajouri Garden, a traffic police officer, along with a constable from the local police station, checked vehicles manually as well, but did not find any ELV till 3pm. 'I am using the e-beat book app while conducting random checks, but we didn't have any ELV. It's important to note that many such vehicles are run on CNG, but we can't impound them,' the constable said. Nischal Singhania, the president of Delhi Petrol Dealers Association, said that fuel pumps located on or close to the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh and Delhi-Haryana borders witnessed around a 10-15% drop in sales. 'The ban created fear among most of the vehicle owners who usually refilled at the border fuel stations in Delhi, and many of them preferred to refill their vehicles from fuel stations located in neighbouring cities, such as Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad, and Faridabad. The ban will be more effective if the government enforces it across Delhi and NCR,' Singhania said.
