Delhi govt impounds over 2,200 overage vehicles to combat air pollution

The Delhi Transport Department has impounded 2,234 overage vehicles between October 1 and November 15 as part of an ongoing drive, which is aimed at reducing the number of polluting vehicles in the national capital. Launched last month, this move aims to address the deteriorating air quality in the national capital, which has forced the government to enforce the third and fourth stages of GRAP in the Delhi-NCR in the last few days.

The Delhi Transport Department has revealed that the seized overage vehicles include 260 diesel four-wheelers that are more than 10 years old. Besides that, it also seized 1,156 petrol two-wheelers and 818 petrol three and four-wheelers, which all are older than 15 years, news agency PTI has reported. This campaign is set to continue until December and is part of a broader effort to enforce environmental regulations and reduce vehicular emissions, stated the Delhi Transport Department.

In tandem with the crackdown on overage vehicles, the Delhi Transport Department has also rolled out an online portal to facilitate the scrapping, retrieval, or sale of seized vehicles. It claims the platform is designed to streamline the process of scrapping, providing vehicle owners with a clear Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for managing such vehicles.

The Delhi Transport Department has also issued directives to Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facilities (RVSFs) to adhere strictly to the 2024 guidelines for handling end-of-life vehicles, as a recent Delhi High Court order mandated. It further stated that non-compliance with the order could result in exclusion from the program.

This drive against the overage vehicles in the national capital follows a 2018 Supreme Court ruling that banned the operation of diesel vehicles that are older than 10 years and petrol vehicles that are older than 15 years in Delhi. Additionally, a 2014 National Green Tribunal (NGT) order also prohibits parking of vehicles more than 15 years old in public places. According to the Delhi Transport Department, more than 55 lakh overage vehicles have been de-registered in Delhi so far.

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