No fuel for end-of-life petrol and diesel vehicles in Delhi from July 1

All end-of-life (EoL) vehicles in Delhi will not be allowed to refuel at fuel stations starting from July 1, 2025. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has announced the new initiative to crack down on EoL vehicles still plying in the national capital, contributing to the worsening air quality in the region. The EoL vehicles will be identified with the help of the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras installed at fuel stations across Delhi.

ANPR Cameras: How does it work?

The ANPR cameras installed outside fuel stations read the license plate numbers in real-time. The system cross-verifies the registration plate with the Vahan database comprising owner details, fuel type, and vehicle’s age. If the system detects the vehicle to be over 10 years (diesel) or 15 years (petrol) of age, it will be flagged as an EoL vehicle.

The system will flag the vehicle and alert the fuel station operator to deny refuelling the same. The violation will be logged and shared with the enforcement agencies for further action, including impounding and scrapping the end-of-life vehicle.

End-of-Life Vehicles refuelling ban to apply across NCR

The CAQM has further announced that the enforcement will extend to Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar, and Sonipat from November 1 onwards. Meanwhile, the rest of the National Capital Region (NCR) will follow through by April 1, 2026.

CAQM says the ANPR cameras enable real-time recording and tracking vehicle data. A recent report states that about 3.63 crore vehicles have been screened through this system, of which 4.90 lakh vehicles have been identified as end-of-life vehicles.

The report further states that 29.52 lakh vehicles renewed their Pollution Under Control Certificates (PUCC), helping generate fines amounting to ₹168 crore.

To ensure compliance of the new order, the Transport Department, Government of NCT of Delhi, has deployed 100 teams to actively monitor vehicle data to identify fuel stations that have a higher concentration of EoL vehicles.

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