The recent vehicle ban in Delhi has sparked a lot of conversation on various platforms. The deadline of July 1 to stop fueling petrol vehicles older than 15 years and diesel vehicles older than 10 years has also left many in for as to what the next steps are.
Currently, for those in Delhi, there are two options — scrap the vehicle, or get an NOC and sell it. Re-registering them in another state and using it makes no sense if one’s based in Delhi. So, to better understand the situation, let’s take a look at where the whole rule stems from.
Say hello to NGT
The National Green Tribunal is an organisation that deals with cases related to the environment and natural resources. It was set up in 2010, and its national headquarters is in New Delhi.
With Delhi’s air pollution getting worse by the day, the NGT came up with the campaign against old vehicles in 2014. In November that year, the NGT said diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years will not be able to ply on Delhi roads. The decition was later challenged in court and the Supreme Court upheld the decision.
In 2022, the Delhi government decided to deregister vehicles that fall under the above-mentioned age categories, and would also seize vehicles if found on the road.
What is the current situation, and what can owners do?
On the first day the rule came into effect, July 1, 80 vehicles were seized — 67 two-wheelers and 12 cars. Over 450 petrol stations have enforced this rule and special cameras have been installed at these locations to identifiy old vehicles. These petrol pumps either have traffic police monitoring them, police personnel deployed, or manned by the Delhi Transport Department. When the camera identifies these vehicles, people can be fined upto Rs 10,000 or the vehicle can be seized.
As to what happens to old vehicles, they can either be sold – like the Mercedes-Benz and the Range Rover – for throwaway prices to other states, or scrapped. When scrapped, the customer gets around 10–20% discount on a new vehicle, which brings the question — with the vehicle prices in today’s world, will this be helpful?
