Fuel Ban on Old Vehicles in Delhi-NCR to Begin from November 1
Days after the Delhi government temporarily lifted the ban on refuelling diesel vehicles over 10 years old and petrol vehicles over 15 years old, a fresh directive has set November 1 as the new date for implementing the restrictions across Delhi and five NCR districts.
According to an order issued on Monday, fuel stations across Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Noida, Ghaziabad, and Sonipat will stop supplying fuel to these end-of-life (EOL) vehicles starting November 1.
The decision came following a meeting of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) held after the Delhi government urged the commission to defer the earlier July 1 rollout. Officials felt that a uniform implementation across all six NCR cities would be more practical.
The earlier July 1 ban, part of Delhi’s anti-pollution drive, had barred fuel stations from serving older vehicles using an automated camera system to detect vehicle age. Traffic police were also empowered to issue challans and impound non-compliant vehicles.
However, public backlash prompted the Delhi government to lift the ban temporarily. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the administration would work on a new approach to regulate ageing vehicles without disproportionately affecting the public.
The decision followed concerns raised by Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, who wrote to Chief Minister Rekha Gupta urging a pause. Saxena emphasized the financial and emotional burden on middle-class families, arguing that many vehicles deemed too old had run relatively few kilometres and remained in good condition.
Critics of the original ban said it conflicted with India’s ethos of sustainability and repair over replacement, and risked hurting people more than helping the environment.
Comments are closed.