Delhi man forced to sell Range Rover at 'throwaway prices' due to 10-year diesel ban

Hindustan Times

2 days ago

A Delhi man says he is being forced to sell his 'meticulously maintained' Range Rover at throwaway prices due to the city's ban on diesel vehicles older than 10 years. Ritesh Gandotra joined hundreds of other Delhiites in calling for a policy rethink, saying Delhi NCR's ban on old vehicles – purportedly to tackle air pollution – does little more than inconvenience honest tax-paying citizens. A Delhi man says he's been forced to sell his Range Rover at a low price (X/@Ritesh_Gandotra)
In his post shared on the social media platform X, Gandotra shared a photograph of his Land Rover Range Rover – an SUV currently in its eighth year.
His post was shared on July 1, the day that Delhi's ban on providing fuel to end of life vehicles (EoL) came into force. Under this ban, vehicles that have exceeded the life span of 10 years for diesel vehicles and 15 years for petrol vehicles will not be provided fuel at petrol pumps. Delhi man rues 10-year diesel ban
In his X post, Gandotra said his Range Rover has only clocked 74,000 km on the odometer. Although it is currently in its 8th year, the car spent two years in the parking lot during the pandemic. The Delhi man described it as a 'meticulously maintained' vehicle that 'easily has over 2 lakh km of life left.'
Despite this, Gandotra is being forced to sell the Range Rover at a very low price to buyers outside Delhi NCR. 'But thanks to the 10-year diesel ban in NCR, I'm now forced to sell it — and that too to buyers outside NCR, offering throwaway prices,' he wrote on X. Delhi man slams policy on old cars
The Delhi-based executive slammed the policy that forces car owners to sell or scrap vehicles in perfect condition. 'This isn't green policy. It's a penalty on responsible ownership and common sense,' he wrote, adding the hastag #policyflaw.
He also noted how buying a new car has become exorbitant, thanks to 45% GST plus cess charges.
Gandotra's post echoes the sentiments of thousands of other people who have criticised the ban. One X post, for example, reads: 'Delhi's absurd ELV policy is a brutal scam. Forcing 90% of Indians,scraping by on under ₹ 25K/month, to ditch their cars every 10-15 years is pure extortion.'
'In a country where 90% people are earning less than 25K rs per month, forcing them to sell their cars every 10-15 years is nothing but criminal,' reads another post.