Delhi: Dealers flag concerns for own safety while enforcing fuel ban on ELVs
The Delhi Petrol Dealers Association (DPDA) on Monday expressed concerns over the Commission for Air Quality Management's (CAQM) 'No Fuel to End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs)' directive, set to be implemented in Delhi from July 1. In a letter to the Ministry of Transport, the DPDA has demanded clarity on enforcement, protection for staff, and the withdrawal of penal provisions on petrol dealers. The directive, announced in March, prohibits petrol stations in Delhi from dispensing fuel to ELVs vehicles from July 1. (HT Archive)
The directive, announced in March, prohibits petrol stations in Delhi from dispensing fuel to ELVs vehicles from July 1. The rule will be expanded to five high vehicle-density districts — Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar, and Sonipat — from November 1 and across the rest of the National Capital Region (NCR) from April 1, 2026.
To be sure, according to CAQM, if a vehicle exceeds the permissible limit—10 years for diesel and 15 years for petrol—it is flagged as an ELV.
The association flagged that this directive conflicts with the Essential Commodities Act, under which fuel cannot be denied to customers. 'Fuel pump attendants are not equipped to act as enforcement officers. Their doing so could lead to confrontation,' the letter said, citing a 2014 incident in Ghaziabad where a fuel attendant was shot for denying fuel under a helmet mandate.
DPDA has requested deployment of police or civil defence personnel at fuel stations to enforce the directive safely. 'The provision for penal actions, including arresting dealers or pump attendants for non-compliance, is neither practical nor acceptable. Such measures would not only disrupt essential services but would also make this scheme a non-starter,' the letter stated.
The association also noted the absence of a standard operating procedure (SOP) and criticised the phased rollout. 'Delaying the implementation in NCR would shift the sales to adjoining cities rather than removeELVs from the roads,' they said, calling for uniform implementation across NCR.
The DPDA highlighted that enforcement of the Motor Vehicles Act lies with the Delhi Police and Transport Department, not petrol pump workers. They have requested an urgent meeting with the ministry before July 1 to discuss their demands.
HT reached out to CAQM for a comment, but did not receive any at the time of going to print.
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