{"id":47436,"date":"2025-07-09T21:03:09","date_gmt":"2025-07-09T15:33:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=47436"},"modified":"2025-07-26T17:04:39","modified_gmt":"2025-07-26T11:34:39","slug":"delhi-old-vehicles-fuel-ban","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/09-07-2025\/delhi-old-vehicles-fuel-ban","title":{"rendered":"Delhi\u2019s Fuel Ban for Old Vehicles"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/Governance\/GS3\/Environment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Citing <strong>\u201ctechnological\u201d and \u201ccross-border fuelling\u201d concerns<\/strong>, the <strong>Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) <\/strong>deferred the ban on fuel to end-of-life vehicles in Delhi to November 1.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>In 2015, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/blog\/national-green-tribunal-ngt\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/blog\/national-green-tribunal-ngt\/\">National Green Tribunal (NGT)<\/a> <\/strong>directed that All diesel vehicles (heavy or light) which are <strong>more than 10 years old <\/strong>will not be <strong>permitted on the roads of Delhi NCR.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Also, Petrol vehicles which are <strong>more than 15 years old <\/strong>and diesel vehicles that are <strong>more than 10 years<\/strong> <strong>old <\/strong>shall not be registered in the NCR, Delhi.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The NGT\u2019s directive was <strong>upheld and reinforced <\/strong>by the <strong>Supreme Court in 2018<\/strong>. It said that vehicles violating the order should be <strong>impounded<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Most recently, the <strong>Environment Protection (End-of-Life Vehicles) Rules, 2025, <\/strong>effective April 1, made <strong>scrapping mandatory within 180 days of the expiry of the vehicle\u2019s registration.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The enforcement relies on <strong>Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems<\/strong> installed at fuel stations. These cameras scan number plates and cross-check with the <strong>VAHAN database to identify ELVs<\/strong>. If detected, fuel will be denied, and vehicles may be subject to impoundment or scrapping unless exempted.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Issue with Older Vehicles<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Pre-BS-VI (Bharat Stage VI) vehicles<\/strong> are disproportionately responsible for vehicular emissions.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>BS-IV vehicles, for instance, emit 4.5 to 5.5 times more particulate matter than BS-VI vehicles.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Transport emissions <\/strong>account for 28% of PM2.5, 41% of sulphur dioxide (SO2), and 78% of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions in the NCR.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Although legal mandates have existed since 2015, official enforcement was delayed due to the <strong>absence of necessary technological infrastructure.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM)<\/strong><br>&#8211; Formalized through the Commission for <strong>Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Act, 2021.<\/strong><br>&#8211; <strong>Jurisdiction: <\/strong>Covers Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh \u2014 especially areas contributing to air pollution in the NCR.<br>&#8211; <strong>CAQM is meant to provide an integrated and permanent mechanism for:<\/strong><br>1. Coordinated response to air pollution.<br>2. Ensuring synergy across different ministries and states.<br>3. Replacing the fragmented approach that involved multiple agencies with overlapping responsibilities.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Bharat Stage Norms<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Bharat Stage Norms (BS Norms) are <strong>emission standards instituted by the Government <\/strong>to <strong>regulate the output of air pollutants<\/strong> from internal combustion engines and spark-ignition engines, including motor vehicles.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>These are <strong>European emission standards (Euro norms).<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>They apply to all vehicles:<\/strong> 2-wheelers, 3-wheelers, cars, trucks, buses, etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"edebec\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"380\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Delhis-Fuel-Ban-for-Old-Vehicles.png\" alt=\"delhis fuel ban for old vehicles\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-47460\" style=\"--dominant-color: #edebec; width:484px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Delhis-Fuel-Ban-for-Old-Vehicles.png 640w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Delhis-Fuel-Ban-for-Old-Vehicles-300x178.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges in the Implementation of Bharat Stage Norms in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Automobile Industry Readiness: <\/strong>Sudden transitions, like from BS-IV to BS-VI (skipping BS-V), forced automobile manufacturers to overhaul engines and emission systems in a short time.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fuel Availability: <\/strong>Refineries had to upgrade to produce cleaner fuels (e.g., BS-VI compliant fuel), which required huge investments and coordination across the country.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Testing Facilities:<\/strong> Lack of adequate testing and certification infrastructure for emission standards compliance, especially for <strong>real driving emission (RDE) tests<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>For Consumers: <\/strong>BS-VI vehicles are more expensive, discouraging buyers from adopting newer models.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Weak Enforcement: <\/strong>Limited enforcement capacity to check on-road compliance, especially in smaller towns and rural areas.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Large Number of Older Vehicles:<\/strong> Older BS-II or BS-III vehicles still ply on roads, emitting significantly more pollutants.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Resistance to Scrappage:<\/strong> Vehicle owners are reluctant to scrap old vehicles due to sentimental value, poor enforcement of scrappage policy, and lack of economic incentives.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Low Awareness:<\/strong> Many consumers are unaware of BS norms and their environmental benefits.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The CAQM&#8217;s directive is a bold enforcement step aiming to remove highly polluting vehicles from roads in a phased manner.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>While legally backed and environmentally justified, its success hinges on technological robustness, cross-state cooperation and public support.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The solution lies in coordinated planning and action on multiple fronts, involving a wide range of stakeholders.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/delhis-fuel-ban-for-old-vehicles-what-does-the-law-say-10107031\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>IE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Citing \u201ctechnological\u201d and \u201ccross-border fuelling\u201d concerns, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) deferred the ban on fuel to end-of-life vehicles in Delhi to November 1.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>About<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">In 2015, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed that All diesel vehicles (heavy or light) which are more than 10 years old will not be permitted on the roads of Delhi NCR.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Also, Petrol vehicles which are more than 15 years old and diesel vehicles that are more than 10 years old shall not be registered in the NCR, Delhi.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The NGT\u2019s directive was upheld and reinforced by the Supreme Court in 2018. It said that vehicles violating the order should be impounded.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Most recently, the Environment Protection (End-of-Life Vehicles) Rules, 2025, effective April 1, made scrapping mandatory within 180 days of the expiry of the vehicle\u2019s registration.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/09-07-2025\/delhi-old-vehicles-fuel-ban\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47436","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47436"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47436\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49318,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47436\/revisions\/49318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}