The Delhi government has now reversed the controversial decision to deny fuel to ‘end of life’ vehicles, following widespread public outrage on ground as well as on social media over the policy.
The order, which came into effect on July 1 under the direction of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), aimed to curb vehicular pollution in the national capital by targeting older petrol and diesel vehicles.
The rule classified petrol vehicles older than 15 years and diesel vehicles older than 10 years as ‘end of life’, or EoL, and sought to deny them access to fuel at pumps across Delhi.
The capital had become the first city in the National Capital Region (NCR) to implement such a measure, with others, including Gurugram, expected to follow from 1 November.
On Friday, Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa confirmed the rollback, citing “technological challenges and complex systems” in enforcing the rule.
“We will work out a mechanism to seize poorly maintained vehicles instead of penalising those who take care of their cars and motorcycles,” he said.
This U-turn of the policy followed a public backlash, with residents criticising for unfairly targeting vehicles that were still roadworthy and are also compliant with pollution norms. Many of the affected vehicles had valid Pollution Under Control Certificates (PUCC), issued by the government itself.
More than 6.2 million vehicles in the city — including cars, motorcycles, trucks and vintage automobiles — were potentially impacted by the now-suspended order.
Authorities had linked CCTV cameras at 498 fuel stations across Delhi to a central database that scanned number plates and alerted staff if a vehicle was flagged as EoL. Under the plan, all such flagged vehicles would have been barred from refuelling and eventually scrapped.
Delhi residents took to social media to express frustration. One user posted about his family's well-maintained 16-year-old Mercedes-Benz E280 V6 being reduced to “vintage scrap,” claiming it caused less pollution than many new cars. Another shared his experience of being forced to sell his eight-year-old diesel Range Rover, which had seen minimal use during the pandemic.
“This isn’t a green policy. It’s a penalty on responsible ownership and common sense,” one user wrote, also highlighting that buying a new vehicle would incur up to 45 percent GST and cess.
The CAQM order was introduced amid growing concern over the capital’s air quality, particularly during winter, when toxic smog blankets the city. Data cited by the commission indicated that over half of Delhi’s local pollution stemmed from vehicular emissions.
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