In defence of Delhi's old-vehicle ban

The Hindu

09-07-2025

It took just two days for Delhi's drive to enforce a 10-year-old ban on overage vehicles to fizzle out.
The two days, July 1 and 2, saw many protests, mostly on social media. It was enough for the BJP-led Delhi government to suspend the operation to deny fuel to these vehicles and seize them. In sharp contrast, there were few posts by authorities or even clean air advocates countering the protests with science and data, especially about the health impact.
The rollback is a test of political will for Delhi's — and even India's — fight against air pollution. The damage can be deep unless the government shows it means business and gets 10- and 15-year-old vehicles off the road one way or the other.
The enforcement agency has passed Part 1 of the test. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has agreed to the Delhi government's push to suspend the operation. But it is a temporary relief. From November 1, overage vehicles will be targeted not just in Delhi but also in five cities bordering it, that is, Gurugram, Faridabad, and Sonipat in Haryana, and Noida and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh.
Larger sweep
By April 1, 2026, the ban will be extended to a wider area, the National Capital Region, which includes much of Haryana and parts of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
But there is no place for complacency. First, the roll-out of the key policing technology — the ANPR, or automated number plate recognition cameras — is the responsibility of the governments. The CAQM wants monthly reports on the preparation for the ban. Second, the argument by several protesters that overage vehicle does not mean a polluting vehicle will not stand scrutiny.
The CAQM says end-of-life vehicles make a 'significant contribution' to air pollution in Delhi and its neighbourhood. Other studies, such as that by the International Council on Clean Transportation, show overage vehicles, mostly Bharat Stage 2, BS3, and BS4 ones, are roughly 10 and five times more polluting, respectively, than the latest BS6 standard.
It is important to note that the ban affects a minority of Delhi's population of 34 million. It may impact far fewer vehicles than the 6.1 million being widely cited, which is the number of registrations on record. But the number of vehicles still actually running on Delhi's roads is estimated by some experts to be a few lakh.
Equally important is that very few use private vehicles. Seven out of 10 use public transit or cycle or walk, according to the CAQM. Initially, both the State government and the CAQM have shown a rare resolve before the ban started on July 1.
Back on March 1, Delhi's Environment Minister M.S. Sirsa promised action by July-end. Sure, it was postponed to July, but the government's intention was clearly towards enforcement. The rollback now suggests a loss of political appetite for decisive action against air pollution. The best way to improve air quality is to cut the sources of pollution, such as old vehicles. But that means taking hard decisions.
On the eve of the July 1 ban, the CAQM tweeted a warning, 'Few hours left…' for the enforcement to start, its mandate being 'liquidation of (a) large fleet' of end-of-life vehicles.
This was the first, high-profile, widespread enforcement that the CAQM was throwing its weight behind. Pollution control analysts have often criticised the agency for not exercising its considerable powers.
Another point of debate is the credibility of the ANPR cameras. Mr. Sirsa questioned its accuracy and cited it as a reason to put the enforcement on hold. Ironically, on March 1, the Minister had taken ownership of the monitoring system calling it 'our gadgets'.
The CAQM has now rebutted complaints stating that various 'progress review meetings' on the ANPR were held with the government of Delhi and other neighbouring States. It has made clear that it is standing by both the ANPR tech and the liquidation of end-of-life vehicles.
Reliable tech
In a sign that the ANPR is reliable, a source said that about 35,000 vehicles were caught with expired pollution-under-control certificates (PUCC) and a fine of almost ₹178 crore was levied. All data relevant to the ban's flip-flop should be made public.
With ANPR, authorities have what an official described as a 'foolproof' tech which, for the first time since the 2014-15 ban was ordered, has made city-wide enforcement possible. There are less than four months for the enforcement to resume. The question is will there be attempts to undermine it again?
The CAQM appears determined to see this through and it is a chance to demonstrate that it is serious about cutting air pollution at source, rather than resort to questionable steps such as smog towers and mist guns.
Air pollution puts off foreigners and foreign investment as officials like Amitabh Kant, former G20 Sherpa, and Ashwini Tewari, Managing Director of the State Bank of India, have pointed out. Cracking down on extreme air pollution in Indian cities is one of the key levers Mr. Kant identifies to spur the Indian economy to $30 trillion by 2047.
True, the ban is not perfect. For instance, the pollution-under-control checks (PUCC) do not test for pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) and PM2.5, which affect human health extensively — from eyes, nose and throat irritation to premature death. And for many there is no alternative to private cars. Public transit has poor last-mile connectivity, it is often crowded and hard to use, despite a world-class Metro and new electric buses. Pavements are largely non-existent in the megacity.
However, the argument many protesters make is what about other sources of pollution such as construction, industry, power plants, farm fires, and waste burning. Valid point, but does that mean pollution by overage vehicles should not be tackled? And there are steps being taken against these other pollution sources too. Maybe not enough, and, yes, implementation and execution remains a challenge. The battle against air pollution is a simultaneous, multi-pronged operation.
Yet, by rolling back the enforcement on July 3, a proper crack at implementation was nipped in the bud.
How the government tackles overage vehicles — and the CAQM — now will signal how serious it is about air pollution. As it is, the BJP government's plans to install outdoor air purifiers in Delhi's Nehru park has raised questions, given how the previous AAP government's smog towers plan flopped.
Shelf life
Anyone buying a car or two-wheeler in Delhi has known for years that their vehicle comes with a 10- or 15- year shelf life, depending on whether it's diesel or petrol. Perhaps the mass seizure of overage vehicles is likely to be a one-time operation. But reducing the number of vehicles especially private ones is a goal of many world cities to make these more liveable.
Vehicles are a significant expense for a household, but the cost of vehicular pollution imposed on public health and the economy is far greater as research has shown. Think of the traffic policemen, schoolchildren, gig workers and the vast majority who need to work outdoors, breathing in high amounts of NOx and PM2.5. A new report in Nature, a science journal, shows how air pollution is linked to a significant number of lung cancer cases in people who have never smoked.
While the rollback on the ban on old, polluting vehicles has been thwarted, for now, another rollback is still possible. The government is considering whether to dilute or scrap its widely appreciated 2015 policy to reduce pollution from coal-fired power plant.
(The author is an independent consultant for climate change reporting; views are personal)