The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has paused Delhi’s fuel ban on End-of-Life vehicles until November 1, following requests from the Delhi government and criticism over patchy ANPR camera enforcement across NCR.
The controversial fuel ban on End-of-Life (EoL) vehicles in Delhi has been temporarily paused until November 1, 2025, top sources in the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) confirmed. The move comes after the Delhi government requested a hold on Direction No. 89, which had come into effect on July 1, stopping petrol pumps from supplying fuel to older vehicles.
The decision marks a significant shift in Delhi’s push to curb vehicular pollution, following backlash from political parties and concerns over the readiness of the enforcement technology.
Delhi government requests delay
Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa formally wrote to CAQM, urging it to hold off on the fuel ban until Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems were fully functional across the National Capital Region (NCR).
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Sirsa’s letter emphasized that enforcement should not begin until the technology to track violators is reliable and uniformly installed. “Until the ANPR system is working smoothly across the NCR, Direction No. 89 should not be enforced,” he wrote.
BJP raises implementation concerns
Echoing similar concerns, BJP MP Parvesh Verma criticized the fuel ban, questioning the technical readiness of the ANPR-based system and the fairness of its implementation.
“Vehicles should be banned based on their pollution levels, not just their age,” Verma said, adding that the rule seemed unjustified if applied only in Delhi while neighbouring regions like Gurugram and Noida were not enforcing it.
“When it is applied across the NCR, we will also consider it,” he added.
AAP calls the move impractical
From the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) camp, Saurabh Bharadwaj called the fuel ban “impractical” and blamed the BJP-led CAQM for poor planning. “This step is unscientific, and the BJP does not know how to run a government,” he stated.
Enforcement tech not ready yet?
According to CAQM member Dr. Virendra Sharma, ANPR cameras have been installed at 500 fuel stations across Delhi. These cameras allow real-time tracking of vehicle data and help identify banned vehicles at the pump.
Sharma said that so far, 3.63 crore vehicles have been scanned using this system. Of these, 4.90 lakh vehicles have been identified as End-of-Life (EoL), diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years.
Strict monitoring, massive challans
Despite the concerns, CAQM said enforcement has been ongoing. 29.52 lakh vehicles renewed their Pollution Under Control Certificates (PUCC) in response to the crackdown. This has led to the generation of challans worth Rs 168 crore.
Additionally, 100 enforcement teams from the Delhi Transport Department are monitoring vehicle data in real time. These teams are focusing on fuel stations with the highest number of EoL vehicles for targeted action.
