Why Delhi Is Spending Rs 9,585 Crore To Replace Old Commercial Vehicles

Delhi remains the country's pollution hotspot despite a series of measures to improve air quality. Over the years, authorities have introduced cleaner fuels, expanded CNG and electric public transport, promoted ethanol-blended petrol, tightened industrial norms and imposed restrictions on older vehicles. The latest step shifts the focus to one of the biggest sources of transport pollution, ageing commercial vehicles.

The Centre has approved the Rs 9,585 crore Naya Safar Yojana, a two-year scheme aimed at replacing old trucks and buses across Delhi-NCR with cleaner vehicles. The scheme covers around 2.07 lakh commercial vehicles, including 1.91 lakh trucks and 16,329 buses.

What the scheme offers

The programme encourages owners of older commercial vehicles to switch to BS-VI or electric vehicles through a package of financial incentives. Owners can avail a five per cent interest subsidy on vehicle loans for five years, monthly fuel vouchers of up to Rs 4,800, registration fee waivers and motor vehicle tax concessions. State governments will provide 100 per cent tax concessions on new vehicles and 50 per cent on used vehicles for 10 years, while pending dues on participating old vehicles will also be waived.

The scheme also lays down clear replacement rules. BS-III and older vehicles will have to be scrapped, while BS-IV vehicles can either be scrapped or sold outside NCR and non-NCAP cities. In Delhi, new buses purchased under the scheme must be BS-VI CNG or electric, while new light goods vehicles will have to be electric.

Why does the scheme matter?

The government's focus is on commercial vehicles because they contribute far more to pollution than their numbers suggest. Trucks and buses make up only about three per cent of the vehicle fleet in Delhi-NCR but account for 36 per cent of PM2.5 emissions from the transport sector. Replacing older commercial vehicles is therefore expected to deliver a much larger reduction in emissions than replacing the same number of private vehicles.

What about trucks entering Delhi?

A recent study by the Air Pollution Action Group (AirPACT), IIT Delhi and TERI offers a closer look at the trucks entering the capital every day. 

The study estimates that 16,900 heavy-duty trucks enter Delhi daily. Around 92 per cent of these trucks report Delhi as their destination, while only eight per cent are passing through the city.

Most trucks entering Delhi already comply with the latest emission norms. About 62 per cent are BS-VI vehicles, while 28 per cent are BS-IV and 10 per cent are BS-III or older.

Despite being fewer in number, the older trucks are responsible for a disproportionate share of pollution. Trucks entering Delhi emit an estimated 52.18 kg of PM2.5 every day.

Of this, BS-III trucks emit 17.9 kg, while BS-IV trucks emit 14.47 kg. Together, BS-III and BS-IV trucks account for nearly 62 per cent of total PM2.5 emissions from trucks entering Delhi, even though they represent only 38 per cent of the fleet.

In comparison, BS-VI trucks, which make up 62 per cent of trucks entering Delhi, contribute 19.81 kg, or about 38 per cent of the total PM2.5 emission. On average, an older BS-III/BS-IV truck emits about 2.7 times more PM2.5 than a BS-VI truck in the surveyed fleet.

While most heavy-duty trucks entering Delhi are already BS-VI compliant, a relatively small share of older BS-III and BS-IV vehicles continues to generate a majority of particulate pollution. By targeting these vehicles first, the government hopes to achieve larger air-quality gains from a smaller section of the commercial fleet.