Delhi govt urges Centre to droop gas ban on outdated automobiles amid sturdy public backlash

The Delhi authorities on Thursday requested the Centre’s air high quality panel to right away droop the gas ban on overage automobiles, assuring it will make “all out efforts” to deal with issues relating to restrictions on end-of-life automobiles working on metropolis roads.

In a letter to Fee for Air High quality Administration (CAQM) chairman Rajesh Verma, Delhi Surroundings Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa stated the gas ban was not virtually possible and posed technological hurdles to implementation.

The request was made three days after the ban was enforced within the capital. No overage automobile was impounded by site visitors police or transport division officers on Thursday.

Addressing a press convention, Sirsa stated there was discontent amongst individuals because of the transfer, and the BJP authorities stood with them.

#WATCH | Delhi Surroundings Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa writes to the Fee for Air High quality Administration to position on maintain the route which mandates the denial of gas to Finish-of-Life (EOL) automobiles in Delhi

He says, “We now have knowledgeable them that the Computerized Quantity Plate… pic.twitter.com/pNiFt7R0Ec

— ANI (@ANI) July 3, 2025

The minister additionally stated the Delhi authorities was looking for an answer to the issue attributable to the ban on end-of-life automobiles that embrace 10-year-old and older diesel automobiles and 15-year-old petrol automobiles.

In the meantime, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta stated that her authorities will make ”all-out efforts” for the decision of issues associated to the ban on end-of-life automobiles.

A 2018 Supreme Court docket judgment banned diesel automobiles older than 10 years and petrol automobiles older than 15 years in Delhi. A 2014 Nationwide Inexperienced Tribunal order additionally prohibits the parking of automobiles aged over 15 years in public locations.

Gupta stated some persons are emotionally connected to automobiles if they’re gifted by an individual near them. Such automobiles are simply keepsakes, and sometimes they aren’t pushed a lot, she stated at a Van Mahotsav programme organised by the Delhi authorities.

In regards to the gas ban, Sirsa stated the federal government was receiving complaints from individuals and, as such, has urged the CAQM to rethink its route.

”The day by day lives and livelihoods of lakhs of residents are depending on these automobiles. The sudden denial of gas provide has disrupted transportation, commerce and private mobility, inflicting vital inconvenience,” he stated.

”We try to make sure the automobiles are usually not banned in response to their age, however on the premise of air pollution attributable to them.” Citing numerous challenges and issues confronted in implementing the ban on refuelling of overage automobiles since July 1, the minister stated, ”We now have informed CAQM that we aren’t capable of implement this.” In his letter to the CAQM chairperson, Sirsa additionally instructed {that a} gas ban on overage automobiles must be carried out throughout the Nationwide Capital Area.

He stated there are a number of important operational and infrastructural challenges in implementing the gas ban, and the transfer may even be probably counterproductive.

”Due to technological inconsistencies of this extraordinarily complicated system and lack of integration with neighbouring states, there’s public discontent and outcry. Within the stated circumstances, it’s not possible to implement this method to end-of-life automobiles recognized by ANPR cameras put in at petrol pumps in Delhi,” stated the minister.

He stated that automated quantity plate recognition (ANPR) cameras have been put in at many of the gas stations, however the system is dealing with issues like glitches, digital camera placement, sensor and speaker malfunction, which forestall the identification of the overage automobiles with out high-security registration plates.

The minister stated the ban in Delhi won’t serve its objective as homeowners of overage automobiles could get gas from NCR cities like Gurugram, Faridabad and Ghaziabad. The ANPR digital camera system can be not carried out within the neighbouring states, which is able to once more be a problem when the gas ban is carried out there.

Sirsa, in his letter, listed a number of steps taken by the Delhi authorities to fight air air pollution, together with the implementation of a brand new air pollution underneath management (PUC) certificates regime to make sure stricter compliance, significantly for out-of-state automobiles.

The federal government can be making an attempt to create a system that sends an SMS to the homeowners of overage automobiles two to a few months forward to plan a phase-out.

”We strongly urge the fee to place the implementation of its route on maintain with fast impact until the ANPR system is seamlessly built-in throughout your complete nationwide capital area,” he stated.

Sirsa additionally blamed the earlier Aam Aadmi Celebration (AAP) authorities in Delhi for implementing the overage automobile ban as an alternative of difficult it earlier than the courtroom and the Nationwide Inexperienced Tribunal.

The Opposition AAP stated that public stress pressured the BJP authorities to withdraw the ”controversial” ban, calling it a ”victory of the individuals” and an instance of the federal government’s double requirements on the courtroom’s orders.

In a video message posted on X, Delhi AAP chief Saurabh Bharadwaj stated, ”Congratulations to the individuals of Delhi. The draconian order to grab outdated automobiles needed to be withdrawn by Delhi’s BJP authorities.”

With inputs from businesses