New Delhi: The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has acknowledged that it has not carried out any independent study on emissions from diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years — categories that fall under the overage vehicle ban in Delhi-NCR.
In response to a Right to Information (RTI) query filed by environmentalist Amit Gupta, the CAQM stated it has not undertaken any research on the matter. The commission clarified that the restrictions on “end-of-life” (EoL) vehicles are based on directions from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in Vardhman Kaushik vs Union of India & Ors and from the Supreme Court in MC Mehta vs Union of India & Ors.
Last month, the CAQM postponed until October 31 its earlier order to stop fuel stations in Delhi from supplying petrol or diesel to EoL vehicles. The move followed the Delhi government’s request, citing “operational and infrastructural challenges” in implementing the rule from July 1.
EoL vehicles are defined as diesel vehicles over 10 years old and petrol vehicles over 15 years old, regardless of the state of registration. Official figures show Delhi alone has 62 lakh such vehicles, including about 41 lakh two-wheelers. Across the NCR, there are around 44 lakh, with major concentrations in Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar and Sonipat.
“The fight against pollution cannot be won in a day, it needs proper planning and action,” Gupta said. “Vehicle pollution is a big reason, so is dust, but a knee-jerk reaction won’t help. Maximum cities in NCR do not have proper public transport and even in Delhi it’s not up to the mark. First, we need to improve public transport and take strong action on dust, construction and industry pollution as well.”
According to CAQM’s July order, the fuel ban will now be launched on November 1 in Delhi and the five high-vehicle-density NCR districts, using Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to identify EoL vehicles through the VAHAN database. The system is expected to cover remaining NCR districts from April 1 next year.
The Delhi government told CAQM that the ANPR rollout is facing software issues, incorrect camera placements, malfunctioning sensors and incomplete integration with neighbouring states’ vehicle databases.
Both the Supreme Court and the NGT have previously criticised authorities for delays in removing polluting vehicles from the region. The Delhi government has also moved the apex court seeking a review of the 2018 overage vehicle ban.