Two days after the Delhi government banned sale of fuel to end-of-live petrol and diesel vehicles, the govt has decided to pause its implementation. The ban on selling fuel to diesel vehicles older than 10 and petrol vehicles older than 15 vehicles had triggered massive outrage among citizens, who called it ‘daylight robbery’ by the govt. The order was issued as per a NGT direction upheld by the Supreme Court.
As per reports, the Delhi govt has decided to put on hold the decision to ban sell of fuel to ‘end-of-life’ vehicles citing non-feasibility. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa reportedly said that the government is planning to adopt a new system regarding old vehicles. However, he indicated that old vehicles will not be allowed in Delhi, adding that the govt will not allow confiscation of vehicles”.
He said, “We will not let Delhi’s environment be harmed, nor will we permit the confiscation of vehicles owned by its residents.”
The minister has also written to the Commission for Air Quality Management urging to hold the implementation of the direction. He wrote, “We urge the Commission to put the implementation of Direction No. 89 on hold with immediate effect till the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system is seamlessly integrated across the entire NCR. We are confident that the ongoing multi-pronged efforts of the Delhi Government will achieve substantial improvements in air quality.”
Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa writes to the Commission for Air Quality Management to place on hold the enforcement of Direction No. 89, which mandates the denial of fuel to End-of-Life (EOL) vehicles in Delhi
— ANI (@ANI) July 3, 2025
"We urge the Commission to put the implementation… pic.twitter.com/mgg1Ymdaes
He wrote that the Government of Delhi is fully aligned with the Commission’s objective to phase out der polluting vehicles and has implemented a comprehensive Air Pollution Mitigation Plan 2025, and the govt has been complying with directions of NGT and Supreme Court regarding implementing ban on EOL vehicles.
He added, “However, as far as the implementation of the direction number 89 regarding denying of Fuel to all EOL vehicles as identified by ANPR is concerned, it is felt that because of several local operational and infrastructural challenges, it will not be feasible to implement this order at this juncture. In fact, immediate implementation of Direction No. 89 may be premature and potentially counterproductive.”
He mentioned technical issues, camera placement issues, sensor and speaker errors, and that the system is not fully integrated with the database of neighbouring NCR states. Moreover, the system is unable to identify EOL vehicles with issues related to high security registration plates.
