78 Vehicles Caught On Camera On Day 2 Of Delhi's Old-Vehicle Fuel Ban Rule

Delhi's crackdown on end-of-life vehicles continued on the second day with 78 overage vehicles flagged through the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras across the city. 

According to the officials, out of these 78 vehicles, 7 were impounded,  3 each by Delhi Police and Municipal Corporation and the rest by the transport department.

In its effort to curb air pollution, the Delhi government has enforced a fuel ban for 'end-of-life' or overage vehicles, that is, petrol vehicles aged 15 years or older and diesel vehicles aged 10 years or older.

Vehicles are the top polluters in the national capital Delhi, accounting for more than half (51 per cent) of the pollution from all local emission sources, according to an analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), released in November 2024.

In a joint press conference today, Transport Minister Dr. Pankaj Kumar Singh and Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa blamed the previous Aam Aadmi Party government for repeatedly ignoring court orders over such vehicles and worsening the capital's pollution crisis.

"This is not a matter of blame game but it is due to the failure of the previous government to contain pollution," said Transport Minister Dr Pankaj Kumar Singh.

Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa alleged that Delhi is now facing restrictions, unlike any other metro cities, because of AAP's decade-long neglect. "The NGT had, as early as 2014, directed the deregistration and ban of vehicles older than 15 years (petrol) and 10 years (diesel) in Delhi due to rising pollution levels. These orders were repeatedly ignored by the AAP-led state government. As a result, pollution worsened, and the courts had to intervene again in 2015, 2016, and 2018. Had the NGT orders from 2014 onwards and the Supreme Court ruling of 2018 been acted upon in time, we wouldn't have reached this stage," Mr Sirsa said.

"Unlike other metro cities like Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai or Bengaluru, such harsh vehicular restrictions became necessary only in Delhi. That's because the previous regime failed to control pollution when it was still manageable. The NGT even noted that AAP's odd-even schemes failed to improve Delhi's air quality. What we are dealing with now is a legacy of negligence," he said.

Government to Brief CAQM, Court on Anti-Pollution Strategy: 
The ministers announced that the Delhi Government will soon approach the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) as well as the Hon'ble Court to apprise them of both ongoing enforcement and further planned pollution-control measures.

"We will present all facts before the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM)-what steps we have taken, how enforcement is being implemented, and how we're cleaning up the air that was left to rot. It is unfair that the people of Delhi are today being forced to pay the price of the failures of the AAP government when they deserve to be treated at par with those in any other states," the minister said.

Several steps taken to combat pollution 

The Minister also informed that other measures are being taken to reduce pollution levels in the city. These include the installation of anti-smog guns on high-rise buildings, repairing roads, enforcing dust control measures, and working towards clearing landfill sites by the end of 2027.