No fuel to ELVs in Delhi: Enforcement ends, but CAQM’s order awaited

Senior CAQM officials, who were reportedly occupied with high-level meetings on stubble burning with the Punjab and Haryana governments over the past two days, are expected to take a final call on the matter after the weekend

A day after the Delhi government requested the rollback of a controversial directive to deny fuel to end-of-life vehicles (ELVs), the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) was yet to issue a formal statement withdrawing the order till late on Friday. The enforcement of the policy, however, has quietly stopped and fuel is now being sold to all vehicles and impounding drives have ceased.

Petrol pump dealers say they have resumed normal operations, giving fuel to all vehicles in the absence of clear instructions. (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

Senior CAQM officials, who were reportedly occupied with high-level meetings on stubble burning with the Punjab and Haryana governments over the past two days, are expected to take a final call on the matter after the weekend, officials familiar with the matter said.

“We have just received the letter from the Delhi government. Any decision that will be taken will be communicated accordingly,” a CAQM official said on Friday, asking not to be identified.

The delay has created a policy vacuum: while there is no active enforcement, the order still technically stands.

Petrol pump dealers say they have resumed normal operations, giving fuel to all vehicles in the absence of clear instructions.

“With enforcement teams withdrawn and the government itself opposing the crackdown, there’s no point in denying fuel to anyone,” said Nishchal Singhania, president of the Delhi Petrol Dealers Association.

The Delhi government has, for the time being, stopped any coercive action like impounding of ELVs from fuel stations, environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said.

The government has communicated to CAQM that it is not feasible to implement the denial of fuel to ELVs at petrol pumps due to implementation issues such as the Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras facing technical glitches, system not integrated with the database of neighbouring NCR states, Sirsa said on Friday.

“Currently, the crackdown is on hold because the government has faced implementation issues about which we have already informed the CAQM. We are waiting for its further directions,” Sirsa told HT.

The Delhi government had started enforcing CAQM’s order on July 1, targeting petrol vehicles older than 15 years and diesel vehicles older than 10 years, in accordance with Supreme Court guidelines. On the first day, 98 such vehicles were identified at fuel stations, of which 80 were impounded. But by the second day, amid public outrage, only seven of the 78 identified ELVs were seized.

But faced with implementation challenges and rising criticism, the Delhi government on the third day of the crackdown wrote to CAQM, urging withdrawal of the directive.

Despite this pause in enforcement, transport department officials stressed that the legal status of these vehicles remains unchanged under Supreme Court orders.

“Over 6.9 million vehicles have been de-registered, and they continue to be considered ELVs. The current suspension only affects the round-the-clock deployment at petrol stations, not the broader legal position,” a transport official said, adding that enforcement may resume in the future.

On Thursday, chief minister Rekha Gupta had acknowledged the hardship caused by the enforcement. “In view of the difficulties being faced by the citizens of Delhi, our government has written to the CAQM requesting that the decision of not providing fuel to ELVs be reconsidered,” she posted on X, noting that the move was affecting the “daily lives and livelihoods of millions.”

CAQM had earlier cited the VAHAN database to justify the policy, estimating 6.2 million ELVs in Delhi, including 4.1 million two-wheelers and 1.8 million four-wheelers. However, government officials later clarified that this number includes vehicles that are already scrapped, de-registered, or issued no-objection certificates to be sold outside the NCR.

A senior official familiar with the data said the actual number of ELVs still operating on Delhi roads is likely closer to 600,000—just 10% of the figure cited by CAQM. Delhi’s total vehicle population is around 8.1 million, according to the Delhi Statistical Handbook 2004.