In the nation’s political history it’s not very often that the head of the state, that is the Governor, issues a reprimand to the head of the government, which is the Chief Minister. Though in the present polarised political environment such instances are getting noticed but it’s rarest of rare to see a missive being sent to a BJP chief minister as in the case of Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena writing to CM Rekha Gupta.
Saxena criticized the policy to ban End-of-Life-Vehicles (ELVs) as ‘irrational’, stressing challenges it posed, be it legal or socio-economic. He underlined the emotional and financial burden on citizens forced to dispose of well-maintained vehicles solely based on age criteria. Saxena urged the Delhi government to reconsider the policy and file a review petition with the Supreme Court to seek an evenly poised approach.
The ban was imposed ostensibly to combat Delhi’s severe air pollution, following the directive of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), which ordered non fuelling of ELVs—diesel vehicles over 10 years old and petrol vehicles over 15 years old—starting July 1, 2025.This ban came to implement orders from the National Green Tribunal and the Supreme Court. The apex court did not mention a deadline but has mandated the phasing out of older, more polluting vehicles.
The problem came in when the government on the direction of CAQM decided on a polluting vehicle on the basis of its age. The policy intended to utilize Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems at fuel stations to identify and restrict these ELVs from refuelling. Since this ban came into vogue without a sufficient notice period, it immediately invited a huge public backlash.
More than the notice period, the government machinery itself did not look prepared to implement the ban. There was incomplete deployment of ANPR systems,without ensuring their full operational readiness led to enforcement challenges and public confusion.
The implementation of such a ban, which was largely going to impact the middle class should have been rolled out after widespread public engagement. The policy’s sudden rollout without adequate public consultation or awareness campaigns contributed to resistance and non-compliance. It also created a perception of unfairness towards the middle class.
Another major fault in the implementation of the policy was that Delhi was seen in isolation not realising that the capital is attached to its suburbs spread over two states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh through economic, social and cultural umbilical cords. The lack of a coordinated approach across the NCR allowed for loopholes, such as refuelling in neighbouring regions, undermining the policy’s effectiveness.
While the lack of adequate planning in implementing the ban invited public backlash, its quick revocation somewhat dented the image of the government on the whetstone of efficiency. Following the criticism, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa urged the CAQM to postpone the enforcement of the ban, citing technological challenges and the need for a more uniform implementation across the NCR. Accordingly, the CAQM deferred the ban’s enforcement in Delhi to November 1, 2025 and in the rest of the NCR to April 1, 2026.
The whole affair of banning and then revoking the ban accentuates the complexities of environmental policymaking in urban settings. While there could not be any doubt about the good intent behind the policy to reduce vehicular pollution, its execution lacked the finesse which comes from good planning and coordinated execution.
One of the finest examples of the same in the recent past was the phasing out of the diesel buses and petrol-fuelled taxi scooter rickshaws and four wheelers from the city’s transport fleet with CNG-operated vehicles. This plan was executed by the Sheila Dikshit government at the turn of the century despite the organised resistance from the bus and auto unions.
Not only were these two categories of vehicles, there also were Harley-Davidson World War II vintage ‘phatphatias’, which were so integral to city’s cultural and social milieu. Phatphatias were also replaced by CNG-operated vehicles, so were the good careers which shipped in and out of the city’s business districts in huge hordes.
It was said that conversion to CNG was a sure recipe for party’s defeat at the hustling. However, the proper implementation of the policy meant that Dikshit romped back to power with a larger mandate and a bigger margin. This was achieved throughtransparent communication, equitable enforcement mechanisms, and socio-economic considerations to ensure both environmentalgood and community approval.
The challenge to implement ban on the ELVs was much smaller compared to the replacement of vehicles which Dikshit government had carried out. The current Gupta government must realise that urban environmental policy making has the necessity of comprehensive planning, stakeholder engagement, and infrastructural preparedness. The ban of ELVs which was brought on July 1 and embarrassingly revoked in less than a week, lacked on all these counts..
