Delhi government pauses fuel ban on old vehicles after backlash
What's the story
The Delhi government has announced plans to revise its controversial 'End-of-Life' (EOL) vehicle policy. The decision comes after widespread criticism and public concern over the fate of older cars. The original policy aimed at phasing out polluting older vehicles from the national capital by denying fuel access to certain categories of old vehicles.
Policy suspension
'Not feasible to implement such an order'
The Delhi government has decided to suspend the EOL policy, which would have denied petrol to cars registered over 15 years ago and diesel to those registered over 10 years ago. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa wrote a letter to the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), saying "it will not be feasible to implement" such an order due to technological challenges and complex systems.
Information initiative
ANPR system not implemented in neighboring cities yet
Sirsa also announced that a new system is being developed to inform vehicle owners about EOL vehicles in advance. He added that the implementation of the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system isn't feasible at this time as it hasn't been implemented in neighboring cities.
Seizure policy
Only polluting old vehicles will be seized
Sirsa further clarified that the government will only seize polluting old vehicles, not those that are well-maintained. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has requested the CAQM to implement the ANPR system in Delhi only when it is implemented in neighboring cities on November 1. The decision comes amid mounting criticism and public concern over the fate of older cars under this policy.
Order implications
Fuel denial order impacted over 60 lakh old vehicles
The CAQM order was supposed to deny fuel to older vehicles in Delhi from July 1. The move would have impacted over 60 lakh old vehicles, including trucks, cars, and motorcycles. The measure was pushed by the pollution-controlling panel as a way to combat poor air quality in Delhi, which has been suffering from bad air quality for years.