Overage vehicle fuel ban in Delhi to be put on hold until Nov 1: CAQM sources

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The Centre's panel on air quality in Delhi-NCR on Tuesday decided to put on hold the implementation of the fuel ban on end-of-life (EOL) or overage vehicles in the national capital until November 1, sources said.

EOL vehicles are diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years.

According to directions issued earlier, such vehicles are not to be given fuel in Delhi from July 1 irrespective of the states they are registered in.

Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa last week requested the Commission For Air Quality Management (CAQM) to withhold action against such vehicles, calling the move "premature and potentially counterproductive", citing "operational and infrastructural challenges".

Sources said the CAQM, at a review meeting, decided to put on hold the implementation of the directions in Delhi.

The drive in Delhi will be launched along with five high-vehicle-density districts adjoining the national capital, including Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar and Sonipat, from November 1 this year, the sources said.

Fuel stations in Delhi have installed Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to detect EOL vehicles.

The camera reads the number plate of vehicles entering fuel stations and instantly checks with the central VAHAN database, which shows details like the vehicle's age, fuel type and registration.

If the vehicle is found to be EOL, the system alerts the fuel station staff not to refuel it. The violation is recorded and sent to enforcement agencies, who are then required to take action such as impounding and scrapping the vehicle.

However, public discontent and outcry over the move prompted the Delhi government to request the CAQM to halt the implementation of the move.

The installation of ANPR cameras in the five high-density districts is to be completed by October 31.