Starting July 1, 2025, Delhi’s government has barred approximately 62 lakh end-of-life (EoL) petrol and diesel vehicles from refuelling in the city. All petrol stations feature ANPR cameras tied to the VAHAN database to enforce the ban on diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles over 15 years. 62 lakh vehicles Delhi petrol diesel ban marks a major step toward reducing air pollution in the capital
🔍 Implementation & Enforcement
- Vehicle Identification: ANPR cameras—now operational at nearly all 520 fuel stations—identify over-age vehicles at the pump.
- Enforcement Teams: Around 200–350 teams comprising Delhi Police, MCD, Transport Dept, and traffic officials are stationed across high-traffic pumps to impound non-compliant vehicles on the spot.
- Penalties: Violators face seizure and impounding, along with fines up to ₹10,000 for cars and ₹5,000 for two-wheelers.
🧭 Scale & Scope
- 62 lakh vehicles in Delhi are impacted—comprising about 41 lakh two-wheelers and 18 lakh four-wheelers—with 44 lakh more across NCR to be phased in by April 2026.
- The ban is backed by Supreme Court and NGT orders and applies regardless of where the vehicle is registered.
📉 Public Backlash & Concerns
- Middle-class impact: Many owners argue well-maintained vehicles are being penalised unfairly due to age.
- Scrappage worry: Sentiment is strong that a fitness certificate should be the condition—not age-based rules.
- Implementation confusion: Petrol pump owners and staff report inadequate training and clarity on protocols and penalties.
🌐 Environmental & Economic Implications
- AQI goals: This move targets the roughly 51% of Delhi’s pollution attributed to old vehicles.
- Auto sector boost: Analysts estimate the policy could generate up to ₹4.5 lakh crore in sales, tax, and scrappage turnover benefits.
🔭 What Comes Next?
- NCR expansion: The ban will extend to Gurgaon, Noida, Ghaziabad, etc., by October 2025, and across the rest of NCR by April 2026.
- Policy evolution: Debate continues over replacing age criteria with performance-based fitness checks and setting up better scrappage incentives.
- Air quality impact: City’s AQI data in the coming months will determine the effectiveness of this aggressive pollution-control initiative.
✅ Summary
Delhi’s decision to deny 62 lakh over-aged petrol and diesel vehicles fuel access is an assertive environmental step backed by tech enforcement and tight legal mandates. While ambitious in pollution control, it raises concerns about fairness, middle-class burden, and the need for a vehicles’ performance-led approach—especially as the ban expands across the NCR.
