Delhi Govt says pause fuel ban on end-of-life vehicles, cites tech issues, ‘public outcry’

Briefing reporters, Sirsa said that rather than enforcing a ban based on the age of a vehicle, a better option would be to base it on vehicle emissions.

The ‘end-of-life vehicles’ are flagged by Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras installed at fuel stations, which scan number plates and match the data against the government’s Vahan portal to check for those without a valid Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC) or those deregistered as ‘end-of-life’.

Sirsa said the ANPR system was not working properly at many places. “There are several technical glitches in the system, which include wrong placement of cameras, faulty sensors, non-functional speakers and improper sound output,” he said.

He also said that many vehicles without High Security Registration Plates (HSRP) were not being detected by the cameras.

Sirsa wrote that the system was not integrated with the vehicle data of neighbouring states in the National Capital Region, making it ineffective in identifying outstation vehicles that enter Delhi for refuelling.

“A stage-wise implementation that begins only in Delhi will not serve its intended purpose. It is highly likely to lead vehicle owners to procure fuel from adjacent districts… thereby circumventing the ban… and potentially fostering an illegal cross-border market for fuel,” he wrote.

He said that while Delhi supports the larger goal of removing polluting vehicles, implementing the ban only in the city would “dilute the impact and shift the burden unfairly”. “Because of the technological inconsistencies of this extremely complex system and lack of integration with neighbouring states, there is public discontent and outcry,” Sirsa noted.

Emphasising that these issues require “proper trial and error corrections”, he urged the Commission to “put the implementation… on hold with immediate effect till the ANPR system is seamlessly integrated across the entire NCR and is technologically consistent.”

(PTI adds: Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said her government would make “all out efforts” for the resolution of problems related to the ban. She said some people are emotionally attached to vehicles if they are gifted by a close person, like a father. Such vehicles are just keepsakes and often they have not been driven many kilometres, she said at a Van Mahotsav programme organised by the Delhi government.)

In a post on X, Gupta said: “This decision is adversely affecting the daily lives and livelihoods of millions of families.” She said while the government is “fully committed to controlling air pollution” and is working on long-term solutions for clean, sustainable transportation, the ban doesn’t ensure “balance with the social and economic needs of citizens”.

In 2018, the Supreme Court had banned diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years in Delhi.