NEW DELHI: In a bid to combat rising air pollution, the Delhi government is preparing to enforce a ban on fuel supply to end-of-life vehicles starting July 1. As part of the implementation, petrol pumps across the city are being equipped with public announcement systems linked to Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras to identify and alert about overaged vehicles attempting to refuel.
According to officials, the ANPR system will scan the number plates of vehicles arriving at petrol stations and check their registration validity. If a vehicle is found to have exceeded its permissible operational life, the public announcement system will trigger an alarm through a loudspeaker, notifying petrol pump staff.
From the effective date, such vehicles will be denied fuel service. Originally, the directive was scheduled to be enforced from April 1. However, the rollout was deferred as several petrol pumps were not yet equipped with the required infrastructure. Subsequently, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) directed that the system be implemented citywide from July 1.
Petrol pump dealers have reported that while ANPR cameras have now been installed at all outlets, the sound systems are still in the process of being added. Trial runs of the announcement mechanism were conducted at select locations in recent weeks.
Despite the initiative’s objectives, concerns over the system’s reliability persist. Dealers had earlier flagged issues where valid vehicles were being incorrectly marked as overaged, particularly CNG-run autorickshaws. While authorities claim that data accuracy issues have since been addressed, new complaints have emerged regarding non-functional equipment. “After we raised the matter, the cameras stopped giving junk data which wrongly flagged vehicles as overaged. However, after the speakers are installed, neither of them are working,” said a petrol pump dealer near AIIMS.
The fuel supply ban will apply to all vehicles in Delhi that have exceeded their permitted operational life—diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years.