Outlook Business Desk
From July 1, petrol and diesel will no longer be sold to end-of-life (EoL) vehicles in Delhi. The ban restricts cars over 15 years old and diesel vehicles older than 10 years, as per government orders.
This rule affects nearly 62 lakh vehicles in Delhi alone, with 61,14,728 marked as overaged. These vehicles have crossed their legal usage limit and will now be denied fuel under the new enforcement system.
As of March 2025, Haryana has 27.5 lakh overaged vehicles, Uttar Pradesh 12.69 lakh, and Rajasthan 6.2 lakh. Though Delhi leads, the surrounding states also face growing pressures to act on their aging vehicles.
The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) reported that in 2024, vehicles were responsible for 51% of Delhi’s local air pollution. Authorities say removing older, more polluting vehicles is essential to improve the city’s toxic air quality.
Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras are active at fuel stations to identify banned vehicles. These cameras check license plates against the VAHAN database and alert pump operators if an end-of-life vehicle tries to refuel.
At least 350 petrol stations have been identified where the ban will be strictly enforced. One traffic police officer will be stationed at each of these pumps to monitor and stop refuelling of banned vehicles.
The plan involves Delhi Police, Traffic Police, and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). Delhi Police will cover fuel stations numbered 1–100, while the Transport Department has deployed 59 dedicated teams at pumps numbered 101–159 across the city.
Special enforcement teams will patrol high-traffic fuel stations. These include one traffic cop and two support staff per location to ensure no overaged vehicle bypasses the rule. Visual alerts from ANPR will also help spot offenders.
Vehicles caught breaking the rule may be impounded or even scrapped. Fines include ₹10,000 for cars and ₹5,000 for two-wheelers.