62 Lakh Vehicles Won’t Get Petrol, Diesel In Delhi From Today

You might notice signs at fuel stations in Delhi starting today that say, “Fuel will not be provided to ‘end of life’ vehicles.” To combat air pollution, the Delhi government has implemented a fuel ban on ‘end-of-life’ or aged vehicles, specifically petrol vehicles that are 15 years old or more and diesel vehicles that are 10 years old or older.

According to an analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), released in November 2024, vehicles are the primary contributors to pollution in the national capital, Delhi, making up over half (51 percent) of the pollution from all local emission sources.

With this in consideration, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) released Statutory Direction No 89, implementing strict regulations on all categories of end-of-life vehicles (commercial, goods carrier, vintage, two-wheelers) throughout the NCR. This action will impact approximately 62 lakh vehicles (61,14,728) solely in Delhi. As of March 2025, Haryana has 27.5 lakh old vehicles, Uttar Pradesh has 12.69 lakh, and Rajasthan has 6.2 lakh.

The Transport Department has devised a plan for deploying personnel from Delhi Police, Traffic Police, and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) at fuel stations experiencing a high influx of visitors with older vehicles. Delhi Police officers will be stationed at fuel stations numbered 1 to 100, while the Transport Department will activate 59 dedicated teams at fuel stations numbered 101 to 159.

A traffic police officer will be placed at each of the 350 designated petrol stations to oversee and stop the refuelling of older vehicles. Two extra police officers will be assigned to every petrol station to uphold law and order during the enforcement operation.

End-of-life vehicles will be detected by Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras that are set up at 498 fuel stations. The cameras, linked to the VAHAN database, will verify number plates and inform the fuel station operator. This vehicle will likewise be utilized by enforcement agencies for the purposes of impounding and demolishing old vehicles.