Public Anger Wins, Delhi Government Says Won't Scrap Old Cars And Bikes

Faced with public fury, the Delhi government has 'put on hold' a contentious order denying fuel to 'end of life' cars - the term for petrol vehicles older than 15 years and diesel vehicles older than 10.

Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa told reporters a fuel ban such as this is difficult to enforce -due to 'technological challenges and complex sytems' - and said a system to seize poorly-maintained vehicles, instead of punishing people who take care of their cars and motorcycles, is being worked out.

This follows widespread public anger over the 'end of life', or EoL, policy.

The Commission of Air Quality Management order, which came into effect July 1, was meant to curb vehicular pollution in the national capital, where people labour under a blanket of toxic smog during the winter months and suffer through poor air quality for the rest of the year.

Over 62 lakh vehicles - cars, two-wheelers, trucks, and vintage automobiles - had been affected by the CAQM order, which acted based on data stating vehicles are among Delhi's top polluters.

That data claimed that over 50 per cent of local pollution came from vehicles.

'End of life' vehicles, or ELVs, were to have been identified by cameras that have been set up across the 498 fuel stations in the national capital region. These cameras are linked to a central database that cross-verifies number plates and alerts the fuel operator about the ELV status.

All ELVs were to have been scrapped under the now-on-hold law.

But now the Delhi government has said the Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras - to identify ELVs - did not constitute a "robust system", since they cannot yet identify the HSRP, or High Security Registration Plates, that have been issued by default for all vehicles registered after April 2019.

" .... there are still many challenges. Technical glitches, non-working sensors, and malfunctioning speakers, all these challenges are there," Mr Sirsa said as he briefed the press Thursday afternoon.

Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa writes to the Commission for Air Quality Management to place on hold the enforcement of Direction No. 89, which mandates the denial of fuel to End-of-Life (EOL) vehicles in Delhi

"We urge the Commission to put the implementation… pic.twitter.com/mgg1Ymdaes

— ANI (@ANI) July 3, 2025

The 'no fuel' order triggered furious reactions from people whose cars and/or bikes may be older than the prescribed limit but are still running efficiently and at minimum levels of pollution, and have the Pollution Under Control Certificate, or PUCC, mandated by the government.

One Delhi resident took to X to express frustration that his family's expensive and well-maintained Mercedes-Benz E280 V6 - a 16-year-old vehicle - had been reduced to 'vintage scrap'.

This is my dad's 16-year-old Mercedes E280 V6 still running stronger and cleaner than most of the so-called modern cars that keep breaking down on roads.

Every single button still works, and the engine? Still does 0–100 in just 6–7 seconds. Zero pollution, zero nonsense.

But… pic.twitter.com/pXCdPvHNY3

— Rattan Dhillon (@ShivrattanDhil1) July 2, 2025

He claimed also that his car produced less pollution than most modern vehicles.

READ | 16-Year-Old, Pollution-Free Mercedes Now 'Vintage Scrap': Delhi Man

Another man said he had to sell his luxury SUV, a barely-used (because it was parked up during the pandemic) eight-year-old Range Rover that runs on diesel, due to the 'end of life' policy.

READ | Delhi Man 'Forced To Sell Range Rover' For Peanuts Over 10-Year Rule

In a post on X he also pointed out the policy, which the government had hailed as a 'green policy' - 'forces' people to buy a new car; "... buying a new one comes with 45 per cent GST + cess".

"This isn't a green policy. It's a penalty on responsible ownership and common sense."

These laments were two of many on social media, with people either slamming the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party for 'forcing' people to buy new vehicles or urging the party to think of other measures, such as an emission-based model, to control vehicular pollution in the city.

Delhi was the first in the NCR, or national capital region, to roll out this EoL ban.

Others, including Gurugram, were to follow on November 1.

It is unclear at this time if they will also reverse the ban. 

WIth input from agencies

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