CAQM ban on selling fuel to old vehicles from Nov 1 in Delhi, 5 NCR districts

The decision was taken in a general meeting held by CAQM on Tuesday afternoon, which included representatives of all NCR states.

NEW DELHI: The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in NCR and adjoining areas on Tuesday amended its order to deny fuel to end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) in Delhi at fuelling stations, stating the restrictions will now come into force in Delhi and five other high vehicle density (HVD) districts in the National Capital Region (NCR) from from November 1, people familiar with the matter said.

Delhi transport department official keeping a vigil on vehicles as fuel ban for end-of-life vehicles was launched in Delhi from July 1. The decision was later put on hold by the city government. (HT File Photo/Sanchit Khanna)

These five districts are Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar and Sonipat.

The decision was taken in a general meeting held by CAQM on Tuesday afternoon, which included representatives of all NCR states. The status of the direction was also taken up for a review, following Delhi environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa’s request to CAQM on Friday to put implementation of this direction on hold due to technical and infrastructural challenges.

“A decision has been taken to now enforce this direction in Delhi from November 1, alongside five other NCR districts. The decision was taken as the government had mentioned technical challenges. This will give them time to prepare,” a CAQM official said.

The Delhi government had earlier said it would approach the Supreme Court to review the ban on ELVs – 10-year-old diesel vehicles and 15-year-old petrol vehicles in the national capital, arguing that real-world emissions and not age of vehicle should be the criteria to scrap old vehicles.

Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday reiterated the government’s stand to approach the Supreme Court to seek relief on the ban on refuelling end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) in Delhi, citing enforcement difficulties. The government has reasoned that Delhi should have same parameters and regulations on ELVs as are enforced all over the country.

To be sure, 10-year-old diesel vehicles and 15-year-old petrol vehicles will still be considered ELVs and illegal on Delhi roads, based on a 2018 Supreme Court judgement and a 2014 National Green Tribunal order that prohibit the parking of ELVs in public spaces.

“It would have been a different situation if the order was enforced all over Delhi-NCR. If we don’t give petrol in Delhi and NCR keeps providing them fuel, it is not possible. The government will echo the sentiments of the people before the Supreme Court,” Gupta said on Sunday.