Amid growing public concern, the Delhi government has put the End-of-Life (EOL) vehicle impounding policy on hold, just two days after its implementation.
The move comes after widespread backlash from residents and criticism from opposition leaders over the fuel ban for end-of-life (EOL) vehicles in the national capital.
Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa has written to the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to place on hold the direction that mandates the denial of fuel to EOL vehicles in the city.
Singh Sirsa acknowledged the discontent among the people and said the government stood with them. He then announced that old vehicles will not be impounded in the national capital.
“Delhi Chief Minister has assured residents that old vehicles will not be impounded arbitrarily. We will not allow old vehicles to be impounded. At the same time, we are committed to controlling pollution in Delhi," Sirsa added.
He added, “Delhi residents are already facing issues regarding End-of-Life Vehicles. The government has written to the Chairman of CAQM (Commission for Air Quality Management) and stated that it lacks the necessary infrastructure to implement the policy."
The minister said the old vehicle owners were getting fuel from Delhi’s neighbouring cities like Noida, Faridabad, Gurugram, etc, in the absence of any such policy there.
The government has suggested that the ban should be implemented across the National Capital Region (NCR), he added and slammed the previous AAP regime for fixing “strong norms" for overage vehicles.
Sirsa claimed that the ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) cameras are not working properly, loudspeakers are malfunctioning, and there is no coordination with vehicle data across Delhi-NCR. He further stated, “There are several technical glitches, and the government has no real-time system in place to notify citizens about their vehicles being marked as EOL."
In its letter to the CAQM Chairman, the Delhi government acknowledged the infrastructure gaps, citing non-functional ANPR cameras, faulty loudspeakers, and a lack of data integration across regions. Sirsa also mentioned that the government is developing a system to inform vehicle owners in advance if their vehicles fall under the EOL category.
“Until proper systems are in place, impounding should not proceed," Sirsa said, adding that only CAQM can officially decide on whether the policy should be withdrawn or paused.
The policy, aimed at phasing out old and polluting vehicles to curb air pollution in the capital, now remains in limbo as stakeholders await further directions from CAQM.
The Delhi government from July 1, banned fuel for end-of-life vehicles — 10 years or older for diesel vehicles and 15 years or older for petrol vehicles — that are deregistered and not allowed to ply on the roads as per the court’s orders. Only seven overage vehicles were impounded by authorities on the second day.
Source: News18