ELVs continue to face action, denial of PUC despite govt assurance of relief

Despite Delhi's assurance against action on end-of-life vehicles, owners report continued impounding and service denials due to existing court orders.

Despite the Delhi government’s assurance that no coercive action would be taken against end-of-life vehicles (ELVs), several vehicle owners in the national capital said enforcement agencies continue to impound their vehicles and deny them key services such as pollution certificates and re-registration.

The confusion stems from the gap between the government’s announcement and the continuing applicability of Supreme Court and National Green Tribunal (NGT) orders that prohibit the operation of 10-year-old diesel and 15-year-old petrol vehicles in Delhi-NCR. (HT Archive)

The confusion stems from the gap between the government’s public announcement and the continuing applicability of Supreme Court and National Green Tribunal (NGT) orders that prohibit the operation of 10-year-old diesel and 15-year-old petrol vehicles in Delhi-NCR.

The government publicly stated that it intends to appeal the existing restrictions on end-of-life vehicles and that no coercive action would be taken against such vehicles.

Delhi residents said that while the government’s statement had raised hopes of temporary relief, enforcement on the ground had not stopped.

Rajesh Malhotra, a resident of Rohini, said his 15-year-old petrol hatchback was towed away from outside his house earlier this month despite being parked and not in use.

“I had heard the government saying that there would be no coercive action against old vehicles, so we parked it outside our house. But one morning, I found that my car had been taken away by the enforcement agency. I later learnt it had been seized because it was over 15 years old,” Malhotra said.

He added that he was asked to furnish documents and pay penalties to secure the release of the vehicle. “There is no clarity for owners like me. One department says there will be relief while another continues to act against us,” he said.

Another vehicle owner, Seema Arora from east Delhi’s Mayur Vihar, said she has been unable to renew documents for her 10-year-old diesel SUV despite the government’s public position on the issue.

“My vehicle is mechanically fit and passes all emission norms, but I cannot generate a pollution under control certificate anymore. Without that, insurance and other formalities also become difficult. Officials told me the system itself does not allow further processing because the vehicle has crossed the age limit,” Arora said.

Officials in the Delhi transport department acknowledged that the government currently faces legal limitations in altering the status of ELVs because the matter remains governed by court orders.

A senior transport department official said that while the Delhi government has announced its intention to approach the Supreme Court seeking reconsideration of the ban on older vehicles, no modification to the legal framework has taken place so far.

“The government has publicly stated that it intends to appeal against the existing directions regarding end-of-life vehicles. However, the Supreme Court judgment and NGT orders are still in force. Until there is any change through judicial intervention, the department cannot issue directions contrary to those orders,” the official said.

He further explained that the restrictions continue to operate through integrated digital systems linked to vehicle registration databases.

“Once a vehicle crosses the prescribed age limit, several services become automatically restricted within the system. Pollution certificates cannot be generated, and re-registration or transfer-related services also remain blocked. These technical restrictions are linked to the existing court-mandated framework,” the official added.

According to transport department officials, enforcement action may continue in certain cases because agencies implementing court directives are still empowered to act against vehicles categorised as ELVs. However, the department has mostly stopped sustained measures to penalise or seize such vehicles.

Delhi has witnessed multiple rounds of enforcement drives against ELVs over the past few years. Under existing rules, diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years are prohibited from plying in Delhi-NCR irrespective of their fitness condition. Enforcement agencies have previously conducted impounding drives, including action against vehicles parked in public places.