NEW DELHI: As Delhi prepares to enforce a ban on refueling of overaged vehicles, the city government is grappling with the challenge of identifying vehicles that have exceeded their lifespan arriving from neighboring states like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan.
Officials said the AI-based detection system developed for implementation currently holds data of only Delhi-registered vehicles, making it difficult to monitor those entering from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan.
To address this gap, Delhi’s transport department is reaching out to NCR authorities, urging them to take stricter action against such vehicles and prevent their entry into the national capital. Officials said lack of coordination and enforcement in these states threatens to undermine Delhi’s anti-pollution efforts.
According to government data, by September 2024, over 27.5 lakh vehicles in Haryana had exceeded their age limit, with only a fraction, 2,716, seized in 2023 and 2024. In UP, 12.38 lakh vehicles had completed their lifespan, but just 3,689 were seized over past two years. Rajasthan had over 6 lakh such vehicles, with 963 seized in the same period.
Delhi has already cancelled the registration of more than 60 lakh overaged vehicles and intensified enforcement to remove those still in use. However, the high number of such vehicles in neighboring states poses a serious challenge to the city’s anti-pollution efforts.
To strengthen enforcement, the Delhi government is installing CCTV cameras at petrol pumps to ensure fuel is not provided to vehicles that have completed their lifespan. More than 400 pumps have already been equipped with cameras, with testing and software integration currently underway. The system will also check vehicles without valid Pollution Under Control certificates. Officials said the initiative will be expanded to all fuel stations across the capital in the coming months.
“The success of this initiative depends on cooperation across NCR states,” an official said, adding,“We need a coordinated effort to ensure that polluting vehicles are effectively removed from the roads.”