Fight against air pollution: No fuel for vehicles older than 15 years after March 31 in Delhi

Delhi government would inform the Union Ministry of Petroleum about this decision.

Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa announced on Saturday that the Delhi government will stop providing petrol to vehicles older than 15 years at fuel stations across the city after March 31. Sirsa said the government is taking stringent steps to curb vehicular emissions and pollution.

The decision was taken after a meeting with officials to discuss measures to combat air pollution in the national capital

The meeting focused on key policy decisions, including restrictions on older vehicles, mandatory anti-smog measures, and the transition to electric public transport.

"We are installing gadgets at petrol pumps which will identify vehicles older than 15 years, and no fuel will be provided to them,” Sirsa said after the meeting, as reported by news agency PTI. He added that the Delhi government would inform the Union Ministry of Petroleum about this decision.In addition to restricting fuel supply to older vehicles, Sirsa announced that all high-rise buildings, hotels, and commercial complexes in the capital must install anti-smog guns to curb air pollution levels.

"After 31st March, fuel will not be given to 15-year-old vehicles.There are some big hotels, some big office complexes, Delhi airport, big construction sites in Delhi. We are going to make it mandatory for all of them to immediately install anti-smog guns to control pollution at their places. We are going to make it mandatory for all the high-rise buildings in Delhi to install smog guns.

We are going to make it mandatory for all the hotels in Delhi to install smog guns," he told reporters.

Sirsa further said that the government would make efforts to create artificial rain through cloud seeding to tackle pollution further.

He added, "Similarly, we are going to make it mandatory for all the commercial complexes.We have decided today that we will take whatever permission we need for cloud seeding and we will ensure that when there is severe pollution in Delhi, rain can be caused through cloud seeding and pollution can be controlled."

Furthermore, he said nearly 90 per cent of the public CNG buses in Delhi will be phased out by December 2025 and replaced by electric buses as part of the government’s push towards cleaner and sustainable public transport.

The announcements come as part of Delhi’s broader efforts to combat air pollution, a significant challenge for the city’s residents.

*With Agency Inputs