Ahead of ban on fuel supply to overage vehicles, petrol dealers rue lack of support
NEW DELHI: With the July 1 deadline for the ban on refueling end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) fast approaching, petrol pump dealers in the national capital have raised serious concerns over the lack of clarity and support from the government regarding the directive's implementation.
In a strongly worded letter to the Transport Department, the Delhi Petrol Dealers Association (DPDA) has questioned the absence of a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and stated that the burden of enforcement cannot be shifted to fuel station operators.
The dealers argue that while the government's directive mandates strict action against ELVs, including impounding and disposal, it fails to designate petrol stations as implementing agencies. They point out that the Essential Commodities Act prohibits fuel stations from refusing service to customers.
'It creates a legal contradiction that will put dealers in an impossible position,' said Nischal Singhania, president of the DPDA. In their letter, the dealers expressed growing anxiety over the lack of formal guidelines and institutional support. They warn that without proper enforcement protocols, the ban could lead to confusion and risky confrontations at fuel stations.
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New Indian Express
4 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Ahead of ban on fuel supply to overage vehicles, petrol dealers rue lack of support
NEW DELHI: With the July 1 deadline for the ban on refueling end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) fast approaching, petrol pump dealers in the national capital have raised serious concerns over the lack of clarity and support from the government regarding the directive's implementation. In a strongly worded letter to the Transport Department, the Delhi Petrol Dealers Association (DPDA) has questioned the absence of a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and stated that the burden of enforcement cannot be shifted to fuel station operators. The dealers argue that while the government's directive mandates strict action against ELVs, including impounding and disposal, it fails to designate petrol stations as implementing agencies. They point out that the Essential Commodities Act prohibits fuel stations from refusing service to customers. 'It creates a legal contradiction that will put dealers in an impossible position,' said Nischal Singhania, president of the DPDA. In their letter, the dealers expressed growing anxiety over the lack of formal guidelines and institutional support. They warn that without proper enforcement protocols, the ban could lead to confusion and risky confrontations at fuel stations.
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Time of India
Fuel ban for old vehicles from July 1: Delhi pump owners seek police protection; fear backlash, chaos
NEW DELHI: Petrol pump owners in the city have written to the Delhi govt requesting the deployment of police or civil defence personnel at fuel stations from July 1, when the rule of no fuel to end-of-life vehicles kicks in. The petrol pump owners said their attendants were not equipped to deal with ugly situations where the vehicle owners forced them to refuel the vehicles. They also feared that the sales would shift to neighbouring towns if the rule was not implemented simultaneously across the national capital region. In a letter to Delhi transport minister Pankaj Kumar Singh, the Delhi Petrol Dealers Association (DPDA) pointed out that consumers have resisted fuel attendants performing such roles in the past, leading to confrontations. tnn In a letter to Delhi transport minister Pankaj Kumar Singh, the Delhi Petrol Dealers Association added that a pump attendant was shot at in the neighbouring Ghaziabad a few years ago when he refused petrol to "helmetless" bikers. The transport minister could not be contacted for a comment. As per the recent directions of the Commission for Air Quality Management, all end-of-life (EOL) vehicles will be denied fuel in Delhi from July 1 and will be subjected to actions such as deregistration, impounding, and scrapping. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buy Brass Idols - Handmade Brass Statues for Home & Gifting Luxeartisanship Buy Now Undo Around 100 teams of traffic and transport department officials will be deployed to flag down EOL vehicles -petrol vehicles aged 15 years or older and diesel vehicles aged 10 years or older - and all 520 fuel stations in the city will be equipped with technology to identify them. India currently adheres to Bharat Stage VI, or BS VI, emission norms for vehicular fuels, but there are old cars that still run on BS-II and BS-III standards. Police's job to enforce rules, not ours: Fuel station operators In his letter to the transport minister, DPDA president Nischal Singhania said their association consistently supported efforts to improve air quality in Delhi and the national capital region and facilitated the installation of Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras in collaboration with the special commissioner of transport at retail outlets to monitor vehicles on Delhi's roads. He, however, added that the responsibility to enforce the Motor Vehicles Act, 1989, and related rules lay with the department of transport and Delhi Police, and should remain with these authorities, and not the fuel station operators. Singhania also pointed out that no standard operating procedure on the enforcement of the rule had so far been shared with the petrol pump dealers by the relevant authorities. "Under the Essential Commodities Act, petrol pump dealers are prohibited from denying fuel to any customer, creating a conflict with the directive," Singhania said. While the new rule will initially be restricted to the national capital territory of Delhi, DPDA also called for its NCR-wide implementation, emphasising that pollution did not follow geographical boundaries. "Delaying the implementation in NCR would shift the sales to adjoining cities rather than remove EOL vehicles from the roads," Singhania said. He also said that the transport department's order of May 13 placed an undue burden on petrol pump dealers for implementing the rule by proposing penal actions against them, including arrest, for non-compliance, which was "neither practical nor acceptable". "Such measures would not only disrupt essential services but would also make this scheme a non-starter," Singhania said.
New Indian Express
7 hours ago
- New Indian Express
EC allows mock polls after results, new SOPs for EVM memory check
NEW DELHI: In addition to the mock polls conducted before the start of voting, the Election Commission of India has implemented a new policy as part of its Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to allow the same to check the integrity of EVMs within 45 days after the results are announced, sources said on Monday. The verification would be limited to 20 ballot units, 10 control units, and 10 VVPATs per request, and regular diagnostic checks will cost Rs 23,600 per Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) set, which would go up to Rs 47,200 if a mock poll is included, they said, adding that the amount is reduced from Rs 40,000 during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls for normal diagnostic check. However, if the EVM is found to be tampered with, the applicant candidate would get a refund, the sources said, adding that the facility would be available only to the first two losing candidates, in line with Supreme Court orders dated May 9 this year. The new protocol will first be applied to over 100 C&V applications from the fiercely contested 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections, filed mainly by INDIA bloc candidates. The new SOPs formulated have been circulated to all Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs), outlining a step-by-step process, the sources said. 'Once the status of pending election petitions is confirmed and necessary High Court permissions are obtained, CEOs will share a summary with EVM manufacturers ECIL and BEL. The manufacturers must respond within two weeks with a district-wise C&V schedule, names of authorised engineers, and a designated district in-charge engineer, who will sign off on the certificate of authenticity of the EVM's burnt memory and microcontroller,' a source said. If any unit fails the C&V process, a detailed report from the engineer and the district election officer must be submitted to the Commission, and the faulty unit stored separately, they said. Verification limited to 20 ballot units, 10 VVPATs According to the new SOP, the verification would be limited to 20 ballot units, 10 control units, and 10 VVPATs per request, and regular diagnostic checks will cost Rs 23,600 per Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) set, which would go up to Rs 47,200 if a mock poll is included, said sources.
