Delhi Congress Chief Slams Fuel Ban On Older Vehicles, Alleges BJP-AAP Collusion

Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav has slammed the fuel ban against old vehicles, accusing the BJP and the AAP of collusion. He has also demanded a CBI probe into ANPR camera procurement.

Police personnel keep a vigil at a petrol pump after the Delhi government imposed the fuel ban for end-of-life (EoL) vehicles on July 1, before rolling it back.

Source : PTI

Delhi Congress President Devender Yadav has called the fuel ban against end-of-life vehicles not just an environmental decision, but a deeply political move allegedly orchestrated by both the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party. Taking a dig at the Prime Minister, Yadav said, "The people of Delhi voted in the name of Modi. But now that livelihoods are at stake, why is the PM silent?"

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) imposed a ban on the refuelling of end-of-life vehicles on July 1. These included petrol vehicles older than 15 years and diesel vehicles older than 10 years. However, the ban was rolled back and rescheduled to be imposed on November 1. The ban would be imposed in five adjoining districts — Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar and Sonipat — where the density of vehicles is reportedly high.

'Modi Govt Must Step In'

Yadav argued that since the National Green Tribunal’s order has already been upheld by the Supreme Court, approaching the court again is pointless and only raises false hopes. "If genuine relief is to be provided, the Modi government must directly intervene in court," he said.

'A Move To Mislead Public'

He accused the Delhi government of trying to mislead citizens by going to the Supreme Court for show, while the real responsibility lies with the Centre. He pointed out that the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) was set up by the Union Environment Ministry under the Modi government.

Citing the timeline, Yadav recalled that the NGT had banned 10-year-old diesel and 15-year-old petrol vehicles on April 7, 2015. This was upheld by the Supreme Court on October 29, 2018. The CAQM later issued Guidelines 88 and 89 on April 23, 2025, which were also endorsed by the Supreme Court on May 6, 2025.

He further alleged that the idea of installing ANPR cameras at fuel stations originally came from the Kejriwal government. "Now that we’re hearing about technical flaws in these cameras, the question arises — was there a scam in their procurement too?" Yadav demanded a CBI or judicial probe into the matter.