Delhi govt welcomes CAQM relief on overage vehicle fuel ban, calls it a commendable decision

The Delhi government has welcomed the decision to defer the implementation of the fuel ban on overage vehicles until November 1 by the Centre for Air Quality Management (CAQM). Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has called it a commendable decision taken in the public interest. Also, she said the Delhi government will use the time given by CAQM to provide further relief to residents and work collaboratively toward a long-term and practical solution.

As per the directive from the CAQM, the Delhi government implemented a fuel ban on the overage petrol and diesel vehicles in the national capital on July 1. This rule mandated that petrol vehicles older than 15 years and diesel vehicles older than 10 years will not be given fuel in any of the over 500 fuel stations in Delhi. During the enforcement of the rule, several vehicles were impounded by the government officials. This sparked quite an outrage among the citizens, as many vehicles that were banned from getting fuel or being impounded due to being overage were in good condition. Responding to the criticism, the CAQM withdrew the rule and deferred the implementation until November 1 this year, which is a deadline in sync with a ban on overage vehicles in other cities in NCR.

Meanwhile, Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa lauded the CAQM's decision, calling it a major relief for the people of the city. "After our request, CAQM has shown sensitivity towards the concerns of the people. This is a big relief for Delhiites," PTI has quoted him as saying.

The Centre's panel on air quality in Delhi-NCR on Tuesday decided to put on hold the implementation of the fuel ban on end-of-life (EOL) or overage vehicles in the national capital until November 1, 2025. The EOL vehicles are diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years.

Reiterating the government's commitment to improving air quality in the capital, the minister said the fight against pollution will continue, but vehicle bans must be guided by science and data rather than arbitrary age limits. "Polluting vehicles must be banned, but not just because they are old. We will conduct proper studies to assess actual pollution levels and will approach the Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal (NGT) with our findings. Any policy must be based on emission data, not age," he said.

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