Delhi's crackdown: Delhi to Ban Fuel Supply for Old Vehicles from April 1 to Combat Pollution:

To mitigate air pollution, the Delhi government announced on Saturday that starting April 1, fuel pumps will no longer sell petrol and diesel to vehicles older than 15 years and 10 years respectively. This action is geared towards reducing emission from vehicles and managing pollution levels in Delhi.

While speaking to the press, Mannjinder Singh Sirsa, the Delhi Environment Minister, mentioned that the government will send communication to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas which will inform the fuel pump operators. PTI has reported that a senior representative from the Delhi official government stated that diesel-operated cars older than ten years will be locked out of fuel access after March 31. The official also reported that approximately 55 lakh overage vehicles are on the roads, with twowheelers making up 66 percent and four wheelers at 54 percent.

Installation of smart devices

“We have around 500 diesel and petrol stations and we will install fuel pumps with the capability to detect overage designated vehicles and stop fuel access.” said Mannjinder Singh Sirsa, the Delhi Environment Minister.

“Sirsa told the news agency PTI then, ‘We are installing devices at our petrol stations that will flag and prohibit vehicles older than 15 years from being issued fuel.’”

An official further enlightens PTI saying that several petrol pumps around Delhi were using AI-powered cameras to enforce the laws regarding the PUC certificates within Delhi.

The officer said, “These AI systems are currently programmed to only identify vehicles without valid PUC certificates. The staff on duty at the fuel pumps are instructed not to serve fuel to such vehicles. But these AI systems can also be used to check the age of vehicles provided our system is improved.”

According to him, fuel pumps without functioning cameras will be outfitted with them shortly.

In addition, the Delhi government will also deploy teams with the objective of identifying and containing overaged cars, so that they do not enter the city or if they are in the city limits they are immediately escorted out.

The plan that the government has suggested seeks to remove the use of public transport buses that run on CNG by 90% by the end of 2025. These buses will be replaced by electric buses to enhance cleaner transport. The government of delhi plans to get ahold of 11,000 buses in total, that is around 8000 e buses along with other buses, by the year 2026.

The Delhi Petrol Dealer’s Association is in support of this plan and says that with respect to the Supreme court of India, vehicles older than 15 years cannot be used in delhi. “These devices are already easily accessible, which can detect if a certain vehicle does not have a PUC certificate, and I think these can be used to detect vehicles that are older than 15 years,” he said in an interview with PTI.

The assumption that banning older vehicles will reduce air pollution does not have a scientific basis as there is no evidence conducted through research which claims that only vehicles older than 15 years are responsible for air pollution.