Delhi govt urges CAQM to hit brakes on fuel ban on old vehicles, says confiscation won’t be allowed

The BJP-led Delhi government on Thursday requested the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to suspend the enforcement of a proposed ban on supplying fuel to overage vehicles, citing significant technological and logistical hurdles. The state environment minsiter further said that the government wil not allow such vehicles owned by the national capital resdeints to be confiscated.

“We will not let Delhi’s environment be harmed, nor will we permit the confiscation of vehicles owned by its residents,” Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said.

In a letter addressed to the CAQM, Sirsa said that implementing Direction No. 89, which prohibits fuel dispensing to vehicles beyond their permissible age limits, is not feasible at this stage.


“We urge the Commission to put the implementation of Direction No. 89 on hold with immediate effect till the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system is seamlessly integrated across the entire NCR,” the letter stated.




According to the minister, the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system deployed at fuel stations suffers from technological glitches and improperly positioned cameras, raising serious concerns about reliability.

He added that the system has not been integrated with vehicle databases maintained by neighbouring NCR states, making uniform enforcement impossible. Sirsa also pointed out that many parts of the adjoining states still lack ANPR installations altogether, further undermining any attempt at coordinated implementation across the region.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday acknowledged the emotional distress faced by many vehicle owners as the restrictions take effect.

“Some people are emotionally attached to vehicles if they are gifted by a close person, like a father. Such vehicles are just keepsakes, and often they have not been driven many kilometres,” she noted.

What is the Delhi NCR ban on end-of-life vehicles?

The ban on the supply of fuel to overage vehicles kicked off in Delhi on Tuesday with heightened security arrangements.

The transport department launched the drive at 6 am, deploying multiple teams from its own enforcement wing, Delhi Police, Traffic Police, and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

According to officials, the drive is aimed at enforcing long-standing orders to curb vehicular emissions. A 2018 Supreme Court judgment had already prohibited diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years from operating in Delhi.

A 2014 National Green Tribunal order also bars such vehicles from being parked in public spaces.

To support enforcement, the CM Rekha Gupta-led government has installed Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras at nearly 350 petrol pumps across the city. These AI-powered cameras, integrated with automated hooter systems, are designed to instantly identify vehicles that violate the age restrictions.

Apart from automated systems, officials are also manually verifying vehicle details using centralised databases. Assistant Sub-Inspector Jagan Lal of Delhi Traffic Police told PTI that their teams were cross-checking registrations in real time.