Relief from fuel ban on old vehicles? Delhi writes to central pollution body

The Delhi government has written to the pollution control body to hold onto the decision which mandates the denial of fuel to End-of-Life (EOL) vehicles in Delhi.

Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, in a letter to the Commission for Air Quality Management, sought hold the enforcement of Direction No. 89.

"We urge the Commission to put the implementation of Direction No. 89 on hold with immediate effect till the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system is seamlessly integrated across the entire NCR. We are confident that the ongoing multi-pronged efforts of the Delhi Government will achieve substantial improvements in air quality," reads the letter shared by news agency ANI.

BJP MP Parvesh Verma has raised concerns over the implementation of the End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) rule in Delhi, pointing to widespread problems with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras and the practical challenges they present.

As per the latest directive, starting July 1, petrol pumps across Delhi have been ordered to stop supplying fuel to ELVs, under instructions from CAQM. The enforcement strategy is being overseen by the Delhi Transport Department, with assistance from Delhi Police and traffic authorities.

However, the petrol dealers have contested the order, arguing they are being forced to carry out enforcement duties without any legal mandate. “In essence, petrol pump dealers are being required to enforce the directions for which they do not have any authority in law, and then they are also being penalised for any non-compliance which may happen due to sheer inadvertence,” argued advocates Anand Varma, Adyasha Nanda, and Apoorva Pandey on behalf of the association.

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