NEW DELHI: AAP leader and former Delhi CM Atishi has criticised the Delhi government’s new policy banning fuel for 10-year-old diesel vehicles and 15-year-old petrol vehicles, calling it arbitrary and unfair to the city’s common residents.“The BJP-led Delhi government has issued a ‘Tughlaqi farman’ that any 10-year-old vehicles will not get fuel and they will not be allowed on the roads. The common people of Delhi use two-wheelers to commute to offices. What will they do now? Secondly, many senior citizens in Delhi use second-hand two-wheelers for local use. What will they do now? Will those senior citizens walk to the markets? This order is baseless and illogical because the age of any vehicle has nothing to do with the pollution caused by it,” Atishi said.The policy, which came into effect on July 1, prohibits fuel stations in Delhi from dispensing petrol or diesel to vehicles classified as end-of-life (EoL) — that is, diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years. It is part of a broader crackdown by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to reduce vehicular pollution in the capital.On day one of enforcement, only 80 vehicles were seized, with Delhi Transport Commissioner Niharika Rai attributing the low number to fewer vehicles on the roads.“A total of 80 vehicles were impounded altogether by all agencies,” she told ANI. Asked why the number was low, she said, “Vehicles came out less only today,” and declined to speculate further.The city has over 62 lakh end-of-life vehicles, including 41 lakh two-wheelers and 18 lakh four-wheelers, according to the VAHAN database. Despite being deregistered, many of these vehicles are still in use.Under the CAQM’s Direction No. 89 (issued April 23, 2025), fuel stations must deny fuel to such vehicles, display warning signage, and report weekly. Violations by fuel pumps may attract penalties under Section 192 of the Motor Vehicles Act, while vehicle owners risk impoundment and legal action.The enforcement effort is supported by an Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system installed at 498 fuel stations and three major ISBTs. These cameras check license plate details against the VAHAN database and alert authorities in real-time if an EoL vehicle attempts refuelling.Between June 1 and June 23, authorities screened 77.8 lakh vehicles and identified 1.36 lakh as end-of-life. Over 8 lakh vehicles renewed their Pollution Under Control Certificates during the same period.Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic Management) Ajay Chaudhary said enforcement teams were already active.“We have seized 16 vehicles, mostly two-wheelers, from petrol stations for violating the fuel ban. The awareness generated through media and public outreach has led to a lower turnout of EoL vehicles,” he said.The ban will extend to Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar, and Sonipat from November 1, and across the rest of NCR from April 1, 2026. Over 100 teams from the Delhi Transport Department are monitoring real-time data to ensure compliance.
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