Delhi govt launches innovation challenge to tackle pollution from old vehicles

New Delhi [India], July 17 (ANI): In a major move to combat pollution from End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs), the Delhi government on Thursday launched an innovation challenge seeking scalable and cost-effective solutions to reduce air pollution caused by scrapped vehicles.
The initiative was issued as a standing order by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and focused on curbing emissions of particulate matter (PM) 2.5 and PM 10, which are known to be major contributors to the city's deteriorating air quality.
Earlier on July 3, the Delhi NCT government requested the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to place on hold the enforcement that mandates the denial of fuel to end-of-life vehicles in Delhi.
In a letter to the Commission, Delhi Minister for Environment, Forests, and Wildlife, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, wrote that soon after the implementation of the direction, which came into effect on July 1, 2025, it was revealed that "certain issues" needed to be addressed before they could be fully implemented.
Under the new Delhi government's policy, petrol vehicles older than 15 years and diesel vehicles older than 10 years are now denied refuelling at fuel stations in the city.
Many end-of-life vehicles have been denied fuel at fuel stations after being identified by Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR).
The Minister said because of "several critical operational and infrastructural challenges", it will not be feasible to implement it at this juncture.
He argued that immediate implementation may be "premature and potentially counterproductive."
"A stage-wise implementation that begins only in Delhi will not serve its intended purpose. It is highly likely to lead to vehicle owners procuring fuel from adjacent districts like Gurugram, Faridabad, and Ghaziabad, thereby circumventing the ban and potentially fostering an illegal cross-border market for fuel, which would further exacerbate the problem," the Minister's letter read.
"ANPR system is not implemented in the neighbouring states, which will again be an issue in the effective integration of the system with the system of neighbouring states, as and when the same is implemented. So far as our knowledge is concerned, neighbouring districts have not yet started installation of ANPR cameras in the fuel stations," the letter added.
From July 1, all End-of-Life (EoL) vehicles identified through Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras installed at fuel stations across Delhi will not be allowed to refuel, as part of a pollution mitigation initiative. (ANI)