NEW DELHI: After the Delhi government requested the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to suspend the enforcement of the fuel ban on end-of-life vehicles (ELVs), there has been no visible action on the ground. Petrol stations report that the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system has stopped flagging overaged vehicles, raising suspicion that it may have been deactivated without any formal notice.
“The ANPR system has stopped flagging vehicles ever since the Delhi government announced it had written to CAQM about halting the exercise. The system installed here didn’t report any ELV. Either people have stopped bringing their vehicles or the system has been shut from the backend. Whatever the reason, we have not been informed by the authorities,” said a fuel station operator in Mayur Vihar.
Another fuel pump owner in Vikaspuri confirmed that enforcement teams have been absent since Thursday evening, with no action taken against vehicles arriving for refueling despite being overaged.
“Since then, we have not seen any enforcement team or any overaged vehicle being picked up for scrapping. Our ANPR cameras and attached speakers have also gone silent,” the operator said.
Sources said that the enforcement teams from the Transport Department, Delhi Traffic Police, and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi were verbally instructed to pause confiscation drives until CAQM responds to the Delhi government’s request.
Even though the government had earlier directed authorities to confiscate and scrap overaged vehicles, over 100 such vehicles currently remain in scrapyards with no clear update on their status.
The Delhi Petrol Dealers Association (DPDA) criticised the execution of the fuel ban, saying that the confusion and inconvenience faced by the public could have been avoided if a proper trial run had been conducted in advance.
“Had a proper trial run been done in coordination with petrol pump dealers, the situation would have been different. This includes the placement of cameras and speakers, as well as the need for a dashboard to monitor flagged vehicles. The strict penal provisions also pushed us to approach the Delhi High Court seeking protection from unjust penalties,” said Nishchal Singhania, president of DPDA.
He also pointed out that a scrapping policy with benefits for vehicle owners should have been introduced beforehand to encourage voluntary compliance.
“A well-designed scrapping policy would have motivated people to come forward. Customers kept asking petrol dealers how to scrap their vehicles and what benefits they would receive, but we had no information to offer. Many also questioned why a vehicle in good condition should be scrapped just because of its age. These concerns should have been addressed before launching such a large-scale exercise,” Singhania said.