The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has acknowledged that it has not conducted any research or studies on the pollution caused by diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years. This admission comes despite the fact that such research would typically form the basis for the ban on ‘overage’ vehicles in the Delhi-NCR region.
In response to an RTI application filed by environmentalist Amit Gupta, the CAQM stated it has not undertaken any specific pollution research or study on the impact of these vehicles. When asked what research, if any, served as the foundation for the ban, the commission clarified that the restrictions on "end-of-life" (EoL) vehicles are based on prior orders from the National Green Tribunal (in the case of Vardhman Kaushik vs Union of India & Ors) and the Supreme Court (in M C Mehta vs Union of India & Ors).
Overage vehicle ban:
Last month, the CAQM temporarily suspended its directive to Delhi fuel stations to stop supplying petrol or diesel to these overage vehicles until October 31. This decision was made after the Delhi government cited "operational and infrastructural challenges" in implementing the measure, which was originally set to begin on July 1.
EoL vehicles include all diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years, regardless of their registration state. According to official data, Delhi alone has 6.2 million such vehicles, including 4.1 million two-wheelers. The total number across the NCR is approximately 4.4 million, with a high concentration in Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar, and Sonipat.
The July order had planned for the fuel ban in Delhi to be launched simultaneously in these five high-vehicle-density NCR districts starting November 1, with the help of Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras. The system was to be extended to the rest of the NCR districts from April 1 of the following year.
Problem with system:
The Delhi government informed the CAQM that the ANPR system, which is designed to identify EoL vehicles by cross-referencing number plates with the VAHAN database, was experiencing several issues. These included software glitches, problems with camera placement, malfunctioning sensors, and incomplete integration with neighboring states' vehicle databases.
In the past, both the Supreme Court and the NGT have criticised authorities for slow progress in removing old, polluting vehicles from the NCR despite repeated directives. The Delhi government has also filed a review application in the Supreme Court, requesting a reconsideration of the 2018 ban on overage vehicles.
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