Fight to save vintage car puts Delhi govt’s end-of-life drive in spotlight

On Wednesday, the Delhi high court stayed an order to scrap the vehicle, and issued a notice to the Delhi government to clarify its stance on vintage cars

In 1948, Rahmat Ullah, then a young mechanic, went out of his way to buy a Humber Hawk III, now a vintage car, as a first-anniversary present for his wife. Seventy-five years later, Rahmat Ullah’s grandson is on a crusade to save the family’s beloved car, which has been the anchor of a tale of love passed on from one generation to another. The vehicle was a prized possession of Rahmat Ullah’s wife and Kalim Khan’s grandmother, Halima Begum. It was passed on to Khan, a resident of Jamia Nagar, on the condition that he would never sell it.

Kaleem Khan with his wife Shagufta at their Okhla workshop in Delhi on Friday. (Vipin Kumar/HT)

On Wednesday, the Delhi high court stayed an order to scrap the vehicle, and issued a notice to the Delhi government to clarify its stance on vintage cars — 33 days after the Humber was picked up by enforcement personnel on the lookout for “end of legal life” vehicles.

Khan said in the court that the way the car was lifted raised questions over the legality of the process, something many residents of the national capital have previously expressed concerns over. Khan also alleged that a different registration number was used for the seizure, and the details were later changed in the seizure memo.

The car was taken away after the Supreme Court affirmed a 2014 National Green Tribunal ruling banning petrol and CNG vehicles older than 15 years and diesels older than 10 years from being used in the National Capital Region (NCR) over air pollution concerns.

In July 2021, the ministry of road transport and highways amended the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, in a bid to preserve the heritage of old vehicles. The amendment said vehicles older than 50 years are classified as “vintage”. The vehicles registered as “vintage” need not be scrapped. However, they are not to be driven on roads or used for commercial purposes. There are around 10,000 registered vintage cars in India.

Khan’s family has been in the business of restoring vintage cars and his love for cars began with the Humber. Their workshop is in Okhla Phase 3.

“We have another vintage car, a 1936 Plymouth, fondly called ‘Pillu’. Most of us used that car because my grandmother hardly let us use the Humber. The Humber was the ‘princess’ that had to be handled with care. I have fond childhood memories with that car,” said Khan.

Rahmat Ullah was the registered owner of the Humber, and decided that he would bestow it only to Khan, one of his eight grandchildren.

Khan said he wondered how the enforcement team was even able to locate the car inside Priyanka camp as it was parked outside a workshop far from the main road.

“They also misbehaved and used bad language. The seizure memo they gave me had the registration number of a 1961-model ambassador that was registered as a taxi,” alleged Khan.

Transport department officials, however, said that the car was parked on the road and was in a near-scrap condition.

“The condition in which this vehicle was parked itself shows that it was scrap. Such ELVs cannot be parked on the road or used in Delhi. We will respond accordingly in court,” said a senior transport official, requesting anonymity.

Residents in the city have already approached the court in at least 10 cases after the Delhi transport department resumed a drive to tow away ELVs in May. The move has caused resentment among people who are questioning the administration’s right to decide the fate of a private asset.

Meanwhile, vintage car enthusiasts and experts have said that the NGT order was being misinterpreted, and the authorities need to make a clear distinction between “polluting” and “vintage” vehicles.

“It is sad the rule is being mindlessly applied in Delhi despite clear mandates by the Supreme Court for registration of vintage cars. These cars have heritage and tourism value and can be used to inform future generations about the evolution of motoring in the world. Authorities should ensure that the third-party vendors are informed to not lift vehicles older than 50 years. It is foolish to destroy such cars,” said Madan Mohan, chairman, 21 Gun Salute Heritage and Cultural Trust.

Mohan has the largest collection of vintage cars in the country and has 370 registered vintage cars.

Experts and transport planners echoed similar concerns and said that systemic reforms were needed in how polluting vehicles are categorised.

“Transport is the largest contributor to pollution in Delhi NCR and steps need to be taken to control it. So, the easiest way is to restrict the use of vehicles with older technology that are assumed to be more polluting. However, this is a major regulatory flaw and grossly polluting vehicles should be identified based on in-use vehicle emission testing that is done across European countries,” said Amit Bhatt, managing director, International Council of Clean Transport (ICCT)

“The major pollutants in Delhi are PM10 and PM2.5, which are not even checked while handing over the Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates. It is high time that we also start reimagining our PUC regime and bring structural changes,” he added.