DELHI NEWS : Delhi has enforced a significant pollution-control measure that prohibits refuelling of End-of-Life (EoL) vehicles — a move driven by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) directive. This rule applies regardless of a vehicle’s registration state.
DELHI NEWS : – Here’s a 10-point summary of the key updates:
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Strict Ban on Old Vehicles: Petrol will not be dispensed to vehicles older than 15 years, and diesel to those older than 10 years, as part of efforts to reduce vehicular pollution in the capital.
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Station-Wise Monitoring: One traffic police officer will be deployed at each of the 350 petrol pumps identified for enforcement to ensure compliance with the fuel ban.
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Enforcement Strategy: The Transport Department has formed a detailed enforcement plan involving Delhi Police, Traffic Police, and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). Delhi Police will oversee pumps numbered 1–100, while 59 enforcement teams from the Transport Department will monitor pumps 101–159. MCD officials will support across other locations.
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Action Against Violators: Traffic officers are authorized to issue challans or even impound vehicles found violating the fuel restriction.
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Law and Order Management: Two police personnel will be stationed at each petrol station to ensure smooth implementation and maintain public order.
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SOPs Rolled Out: The Delhi government released Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on June 17, directing petrol stations to maintain manual or digital logs of vehicles denied fuel due to EoL status.
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Pan-Delhi Application: As per the CAQM directive, the fuel ban applies to all end-of-life vehicles entering Delhi — irrespective of which state they are registered in.
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Training and Weekly Reporting: Fuel pump staff have been trained on CAQM norms. Denial logs must be submitted weekly to the Transport Department.
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Use of Technology: Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) camera systems have been installed at fuel stations to track and identify EoL vehicles in real time. The Delhi Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation (DTIDC) will oversee their functioning.
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Penalties for Non-Compliance: Fuel stations violating the directive will be reported weekly to CAQM and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. Offenders may be penalized under Section 192 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
The directive follows previous orders — including a 2018 Supreme Court ruling banning 10-year-old diesel and 15-year-old petrol vehicles from operating in Delhi, and a 2014 NGT order restricting parking of vehicles over 15 years old in public spaces.