(Source: Poll of Polls)
‘Told CAQM Of Loopholes In AAP's Decision, Can't Be Implemented Now’: Delhi Minister On No Fuel To EOL Vehicles
According to the directions issued by CAQM, diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years cannot get fuel in Delhi from July 1. The order was later halted.
Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Monday flagged "challenges and implementation flaws" in the order to impose a ban on fuel for end-of-life vehicles in the national capital, clarifying that it was not passed by the BJP-led government, but was instead implemented on Commission for Air Quality Management's (CAQM) directive.
In an interview with news agency ANI, Sirsa said there are infrastructural and operational "loopholes" in implementing the CAQM order concerning the fuel ban for 'end-of-life vehicles'— a concept he said he does not agree with.
His remarks come after the Delhi government last week urged CAQM to halt the implementation of its order on fuel ban to old vehicles. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta stated that the decision has an impact on the daily lives and livelihoods of millions of families in the city, and thus there is a need for reconsideration.
The order to stop fuel supply to end-of-life vehicles was implemented on July 1.
"Kejriwal (AAP) government in Delhi decided to put up the cameras and identify (end-of-life) vehicles from it. After it was communicated to CAQM, they informed the same to the Supreme Court. The top court termed it as a 'good move' and told them to implement it. CAQM issued an order to implement this from July 1," Sirsa told ANI.
The Delhi Minister then went on to detail the challenges behind the order's implementation, saying, "Two things were there --- on one side, there was the order of February 2024 of the Delhi government which said that when they will seize the end-of-life vehicles, initially they will only be fined, and a chance will be given to them to take the vehicle outside Delhi."
#WATCH | On Delhi Govt pauses fuel ban on end-of-life vehicles, Delhi cabinet minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa says, "The previous government of Arvind Kejriwal decided to install cameras and identify such vehicles in Delhi through cameras. They provided this information to the… pic.twitter.com/rcAbnSf8XI
— ANI (@ANI) July 7, 2025
He further said that another order was issued in 2025 which said that cameras would be placed and vehicles would be seized on the spot.
"So, now, which rule should be implemented?... Now, we have told CAQM that there are challenges in this order. The process of seizing cars on basis of cameras is wrong; technically, there is a flaw in it," he added.
Sirsa further elaborated on the implementation-based challenges, questioning why a vehicle with a high-security number plate would not be seized and another with an ordinary vehicle would be impounded because it would be identified on a camera.
"For example, there are two vehicles (end-of-life) at the petrol pump, one can be seized and another can't? Why? Because vehicles with high-security number plate are being identified with camera, but vehicles without it are not being identified. This is unfair," he explained.
He said another loophole in the directive is that since petrol and diesel is available in Noida, Gurugram and Faridabad, the order should be implemented everywhere.
Delhi Govt Taking Measures To Resolve Issues
Delhi Minister noted that the government is looking for measures to resolve the issues in the directive. He expressed disagreement with the concept of "end-of-life," asking how a vehicle that is classified under this category can become a regular vehicle once it goes outside the national capital.
"I do not agree with the word 'end-of-life.' I don't know how it was generated... Delhi is the only place where there is concept of "end-of-life." How was it decided?... If a vehicle is end-of-life in Delhi, the moment it goes outside Delhi, it becomes a regular vehicle. How is this possible? It will end the concept of vintage cars too. Nobody can have vintage cars, then... We are looking for ways to resolve the issue," he said.
"We (Delhi government) didn't issue any order, it was CAQM order. We have requested them not to implement till it is implemented in neighbouring states too," he clarified.
Last week, Sirsa wrote to the CAQM seeking a hold on the directive for no fuel to end-of-life vehicles in the city. He stated that there was a need to adddress "certain issues" before the order could be fully implemented.
"The Government of Delhi is fully aligned with the Commission's objective to phase out older, polluting vehicles and has implemented a comprehensive Air Pollution Mitigation Plan 2025 to this end," the letter said.
He also argued that immediate implementation may be "premature and potentially counterproductive."
"A stage-wise implementation that begins only in Delhi will not serve its intended purpose. It is highly likely to lead to vehicle owners procuring fuel from adjacent districts like Gurugram, Faridabad, and Ghaziabad, thereby circumventing the ban and potentially fostering an illegal cross-border market for fuel, which would further exacerbate the problem," the letter said
"ANPR system is not implemented in the neighbouring states, which will again be an issue in the effective integration of the system with the system of neighbouring states, as and when the same is implemented. So far as our knowledge is concerned, neighbouring districts have not yet started installation of ANPR cameras in the fuel stations," it added.
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