Delhi fuel ban for old vehicles to be reversed?
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Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
BJP, AAP oppose EOL vehicle crackdown
New Delhi: The BJP and AAP have both distanced themselves from the current action against end-of-life (EOL) vehicles, which includes refusing fuel and seizing such vehicles. The enforcement pattern on the ground reflects the sentiment, with the initial crackdown seeing the seizing of 80 vehicles on Day One and then a drop to seven vehicles on the second day, and single-digit seizures on the third day, according to sources. It was announced earlier that all EOL vehicles would not only be denied fuel in the capital, they would also be impounded on the spot and taken for scrapping from July 1 onwards. You Can Also Check: Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi All fuel pumps have been equipped with technology to identify such vehicles — petrol-run vehicles older than 15 years and diesel-run vehicles older than 10 years. Two Delhi govt ministers, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, holding the charge of environment, and transport minister Pankaj Singh, have voiced opposition to the drive. Sirsa said that govt was thinking of going to court against the rules, while Pankaj Singh said the earlier AAP govt failed to control pollution. AAP functionaries, including former deputy CM Manish Sisodia, former CM Atishi, and Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj, have been critical of the move. Sisodia alleged that the move was taken as BJP govt wanted to benefit automobile companies. "Many vehicles have run for barely a few kilometres and do not cause pollution, yet BJP govt is branding them unfit and ordering them to be scrapped," said Sisodia. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trending in in 2025: Local network access control [Click Here] Esseps Learn More Undo Sources in petrol pump associations said that the security deployed at pumps considerably decreased on the third day, and there was hardly any impounding. This is not the first time that such a move has met with stiff political resistance. In 2023, when the drive to impound such vehicles from the roadside started, transport minister Kailash Gahlot objected to it. The matter went to court, after which Delhi High Court ordered the release of "end-of-life" vehicles, but under some conditions. A mit Bhatt, MD, International Council on Clean Transportation India, however, said that the move sends a signal on the ground that polluting vehicles would not be tolerated. "Emission levels also change with various engine types; older technology vehicles have much higher emissions than newer ones," he said. "Ultimately, if you do want clean air, then there is no option other than shifting to electric," he said. Anil Chhikara, faculty at the Asian Institute of Transport Development, said: "The problem was that the whole exercise was done without much preparation. Also, you are putting so much resource while a handful of vehicles is being impounded." Nischal Singhania, president of the Delhi Petrol Dealers Association, said that the association is happy with the ministers' decision advocating a halt. "It anyway will not have much effect until there is a blanket ban in NCR," he said.
The Print
6 hours ago
- The Print
Delhi govt does U-turn on ‘fuel ban policy', asks CAQM to put ‘premature implementation' on hold
The policy introduced by the CAQM mandated that around 61 lakh end-of-life (EoL) vehicles identified in Delhi will not be allowed to ply on the capital's roads. The vehicles will be identified by an Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) camera system at all fuel stations and denied fuel across Delhi, and also stand to be impounded by the police. This policy was expected to extend to NCR regions including Gurgaon, Faridabad, and Noida by November. In a letter dated 3 July, the minister said that while the Delhi government complies with the CAQM's plan to phase out old, polluting vehicles, the current policy to deny fuel to these vehicles is not feasible due to operational challenges. 'Because of technological inconsistencies and lack of integration with neighbouring states … there is public discontent and outcry,' read the letter. New Delhi: In the face of backlash over the move, Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa has requested the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to pause its new directive denying fuel to petrol vehicles older than 15 years and diesel vehicles older than 10 years, two days after the order was implemented in the national capital. The measure was met with backlash by a section of citizens who took to social media to complain about classifying petrol vehicles older than 10 years and diesel vehicles older than 15 years as 'unfit' for Delhi's roads. 62 lakh vehicles banned from fuel overnight in Delhi. No proper EV infra, no affordable alternatives, just pressure on middle class families. Even well-maintained cars face the axe! This isn't saving the planet, it's wrecking livelihoods!! 🤷♂️ — Karan Singh Dhillon (@karandhillon28) July 1, 2025 So, Delhi has banned fuel stations from refuelling 15-year-old petrol and 10-year-old diesel vehicles starting today. Great for headlines, but what about those who can't afford a new car or EV? Poor scrappage support, no exchange offers, no EV infrastructure! Just a sudden ban.… — Arun Prabhudesai (@8ap) July 1, 2025 As a result, the Delhi minister in his letter to the statutory body wrote that 'immediate implementation of the directive may be premature and potentially counterproductive'. The main issues pointed out in the letter were to do with the implementation of the policy, which relies on ANPR systems to recognise the vehicles. The letter said that these ANPR systems have potential glitches, and the camera placement too was not viable. Also, the minister pointed out that 'the system is not yet fully integrated into the databases of neighbouring states'. What this would lead to, said the letter, is people getting fuel from nearby NCR regions for their EoL vehicles rather than taking them off the roads. 'A stage-wise implementation system will not serve its purpose …. It is highly to lead vehicle owners procuring fuel from adjacent districts, circumventing the ban and fostering an illegal cross-border market for fuel,' read the letter. The initial order (Direction 89) to deny fuel to end-of-life polluting vehicles by 1 July was passed by CAQM on 23 April this year. The move had been earlier announced by Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Sirsa, who said it would come into force from 31 March, but it was pushed to ensure more time for fuel stations to be equipped with ANPR cameras. The order to deny fuel to EoL vehicles from plying on Delhi's roads came after numerous advisories and directions by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the Supreme Court, Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, and the Delhi government in a bid to reduce air pollution. However, in the letter, Sirsa mentioned that the Delhi government has existing and ongoing measures to curb pollution, such as planting 70 lakh trees, strengthening the pollution certificate (PUC) regime for vehicles, and cloud seeding measures. 'We are confident that the ongoing multipronged efforts of the Delhi government will achieve substantial improvements in air quality,' read his letter to the CAQM. (Edited by Amrtansh Arora) Also Read: Delhi's new fuel policy is forcing people to buy new cars. It won't reduce pollution
India Today
10 hours ago
- India Today
Why Delhi's ban on old vehicles felt like losing a friend
The ban on 10-year-old diesel vehicles and 15-year-old petrol vehicles has been in place for some time now. However, the Delhi Government recently took things a step further by issuing a notice prohibiting fuel stations from dispensing fuel to such vehicles. More significantly, authorities now have the power to confiscate after huge public backlash, the Delhi Government has not only stayed the impounding of end-of-life vehicles but has also written to the environment body seeking a pause on the fuel ban. This comes as a welcome change to the otherwise Draconian law owing to which I had to personally go through a turbulent time with my very own vehicle. Hoping to see a change, I thought of listing out the solutions that will make this possible. But before that, here is what two decades ago, when I started my career, we owned a little hatchback in my hometown. Over the years, that little car had suffered a lot at the hands of multiple drivers. The trams of Kolkata had left their mark on the panels, and so had multiple private buses. Not to forget the tyrant autowalas who had ripped the ORVM (Outside Rear View Mirror) off the mounting. Once, when I was visiting home, one look at the car sealed the fact that we needed a new one. I quietly decided to sell it off, and a young chap came to purchase it. It would be his first car and, most importantly, he would learn to drive in it. Perfect! The deal was my folks had always wanted a sedan - and a black one at that. Quite clearly, buying a new one was way off my budget. Hence, we delved into the used car market. After a major hunt, we zoomed in on a Maruti Suzuki Esteem in black. It was a sparingly used car and had done about 30,000 km or so. I quite aptly named it 'Black'. After warning my driver with literally an iron rod, I took a flight back to the a couple of months, Black was just a part of small discussions until the time came for my family to relocate to where I was living - that is, the Delhi NCR. But what to do with Black? For mum and dad, it was simple: we were taking Black along with us. We don't leave family members behind. Thanks to my nature of work, fancy cars kept coming, but Black would always take the prime parking the next decade, Black was our partner for weekend runs, the odd bhaaji-tarkari duties, etc. Just before Covid struck the world, I lost my father to illness, and Black somehow became an integral part of my life - full of memories of my father. Every time I would drive Black, I would remember how he would revel in the glitter of the sedan, how people would stare at our car, and how comfortable he felt in time was flying, and that was something I never calculated. When the lockdown was lifted, I took Black out for a drive and realised that it was 14 and a half years old. I got the paperwork updated and got a PUC certificate for it, which lasted for a year - a full six months over the life and validity of the car. It now struck me that Black had very little time left!advertisementConsidering it was Covid times and that I had just lost my father, I had to make a decision to buy a new car - especially because I could not risk my family with public transport. But what to do with Black? I had to compulsorily kill him. It felt like murder. I went down to my garage and there he stood - a pristine black Esteem, with a scratch on the right-hand corner of the front with leather seats, a Kenwood factory-fitted CD player, an AC system that could freeze better than a Kelvinator fridge, and so on. It had power steering, power windows, central locking, and what not. It would start at the first crank, offer over 15 kmpl, and pass every test possible on the planet with just 82,435 km on the clock.I stood in front of Black with folded hands and expressed my love for it. I thanked him for all his support during my tough times and also for those unforgettable memories. But I told him that I had to let him go. With a tear rolling down my cheek, I walked away from Black. The next day, a young chap came from the dealership to collect the car. I had allowed them to exchange Black for a shiny new got a glorious sum of Rs 25,000 for Black. It felt like I had sold a family member. But I did it because I could have paperwork to support the sale, as there was no proper option of murdering him. Even pets have the option of a dignified death. But for Black, it was anything but dignified! I lost Black just as I had lost my father a few years and not celebrating the arrival of the new car, I started thinking - what would happen if I walked into a grocery store with my grandpa and the guard there took him away, saying that he had lost the right to live? So, what is the solution?The first step is to create the Scrappage Policy - something we have been waiting for years. However, before anything else, the policy cannot be compulsory, but rather voluntary - much like what the United Kingdom did a few years ago when facing similar challenges. Those who consider the car to be a transportation module only can give up the junkers in return for a fixed what if one does not want to sell? Well, instead of spending crores on installing expensive cameras to spot EoL vehicles, the authorities should invest the same amount to set up high-tech test centres for old vehicles.A centre where the test process can be monitored. A centre where corruption can be curbed with technology. A centre where every car gets a fair chance to live free after passing stringent tests. These tests could include everything from the condition of the engine, mechanical condition, and so on. Quite simply, then, the authorities cannot penalise the common man just because they cannot curb corruption at test centres. Thereafter, once the certificate of fitness has been issued, the authorities can further levy higher road taxes on vehicles beyond a certain age. This should work as a deterrent to owners of retaining old cars - but it will also provide freedom to those who want to retain their old is one more option that the authorities can look towards. India does not officially allow the replacement of engines in cars. The authorities should reconsider the same and try to offer an option to owners. New engines will, in any case, give the old cars a new lease of life and extend their lifespan. Maruti Suzuki in the past used to offer half engines, which could be installed in but not the least, the Government had also spoken about a special 'VA' series of numbers, especially for vintage and classic cars and bikes. These exotic vehicles are not driven every day and are prized possessions kept in tip-top condition. They are taken out occasionally and enjoyed by their owners. The entire automotive history of Delhi-NCR has been wiped out, and special registration continues to be in the dreams of all, we hope that the authorities listen to the common man who is reeling under immense stress as their daily means of transport is being taken away from them forcefully. Today it is cars - tomorrow, who knows what? (Rahul Ghosh is Associate Editor at Auto Today with over two decades of experience in vehicle evaluation, intercontinental drives and everything else automotive. On the Jury for Indian Car of the Year and Indian Motorcycle of the Year)- Ends(Views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author)Must Watch
