Delhi’s Anti-Pollution Drive Stalls as Old Vehicle Fuel Ban Suspended

Delhi’s Anti-Pollution Drive Stalls as Old Vehicle Fuel Ban Suspended

Delhi’s air quality crisis, which claims numerous lives yearly and forces school closures, remains dire.

By RMN News Service
July 4, 2025

NEW DELHI, July 4, 2025 – Delhi’s fight against severe air pollution hit a roadblock as the government halted a directive banning End-of-Life (EOL) vehicles from refueling at city petrol stations, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa announced on July 3. The decision, prompted by public backlash and legal challenges, raises fresh concerns about tackling the capital’s toxic air, deemed the world’s worst.

The suspended policy, aligned with a 2018 Supreme Court ruling banning diesel vehicles over 10 years and petrol vehicles over 15 years, aimed to curb emissions from aging vehicles. Sirsa cited enforcement issues, including faulty camera setups, poor data integration with neighboring states, and an incomplete Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system, as reasons for the pause. “We urge the Commission for Air Quality Management to hold implementation until the ANPR system is fully operational across the NCR,” Sirsa stated, warning of potential cross-border fuel procurement and illegal markets if the ban is enforced solely in Delhi.

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The Delhi Petrol Dealers Association challenged the directive in the Delhi High Court, arguing that private dealers lack authority to enforce the ban and face unfair penalties under the Motor Vehicles Act. With thousands of vehicles visiting petrol stations daily, dealers called the enforcement mechanism “unreasonable.”

Delhi’s air quality crisis, which claims numerous lives yearly and forces school closures, remains dire. While the government insists it is committed to cleaner air through other measures, suspending the EOL fuel ban marks a setback, leaving residents to endure the health toll of persistent pollution.