No Fuel for Old Vehicles:
As of July 1, 2025, the Delhi government is all set with an extensive action plan to restrict the use of old vehicles. Aiming to make a significant impact on pollution, the government plans to seize end-of-life vehicles that have surpassed their usage tenure. The authorities will impose fines on such vehicles and seize them from today.
Petrol cars older than 15 years and diesel cars older than 10 years will not receive any fuel in Delhi starting today. Violators will face a fine of 10,000 Rupees, and seized scooters will incur a 5,000 Rupee penalty.
To efficiently enforce this rule, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), Transport Department, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Delhi Police, and other agencies will be stationed at petrol pumps across Delhi.
Firstly, what is this new rule? Recently, the CAQM clarified that from July 1, 2025, no fuel will be provided at petrol stations to vehicles that have crossed their predetermined age limit. Vehicles older than 10 years for diesel and 15 years for petrol fall into the end-of-life (EOL) category.
In an effort to implement this rule, all Delhi petrol stations have been equipped with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems to identify old vehicles.
Source: aajtak
High-quality cameras in the ANPR system will check every vehicle’s number plate arriving at fuel stations. If an EOL-category vehicle is spotted, it will be publicly announced and seized on the spot.
Officials mentioned giving owners a chance to pay fines and reclaim their vehicles. However, failure to comply within the given timeline would result in permanent seizure.
Petrol station management has the authority to refuse fuel to identified old vehicles. This rule currently applies to only petrol and diesel vehicles, exempting CNG. Any negligence by petrol station operators or vehicle owners will also face stringent measures.
To ensure peaceful implementation, Delhi traffic and local police will be deployed in sensitive areas around petrol pumps due to past requests by the Petrol Pump Association, which feared disputes from refusing fuel.
Ajay Chaudhary, Joint Commissioner of Delhi Traffic Police, provided insights, saying "We categorized the petrol stations running from 6 AM to 11 PM and those operating 24 hours. Police will be stationed according to the sensitivity of areas and the likelihood of EOL vehicles visiting these places."
Source: aajtak
Initially, the government intended to ban petrol, diesel, and CNG-driven old vehicles. However, relief has been granted to CNG vehicles older than 15 years for now. Delhi's Transport Commissioner, Niharika Rai, stated, "From July 1, sightlines of the Transport Department and other agencies will be on petrol stations, largely focusing on diesel vehicles over 10 years old and petrol vehicles over 15 years old."
Officials confirmed identifying sensitive petrol stations. Any non-compliance will result in strict action, and extra police deployment is planned for stations prone to violations. SOPs have been released, detailing necessary guidelines for petrol pump operators.
This rule is currently a Delhi-exclusive, with ANPR cameras installed only in the city. However, starting November 1, areas around Delhi, like Noida, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, and Sonipat, will also see these installations. No action is planned yet for old vehicles outside Delhi.
The government aims to curb vehicular pollution in Delhi by removing old, heavily polluting vehicles under the No Fuel for Old Vehicles policy. United teams urge citizens to voluntarily scrap their outdated vehicles to avoid emergencies.
