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The Delhi government said that after March 31, there would be no gasoline for overage automobiles.

NEW DELHI, Mar 1: The Delhi government said on Saturday that starting on April 1, fuel pumps in the nation’s capital will not supply gasoline or diesel to cars that are older than 15 or 10 years, respectively, in an effort to reduce air pollution.

Following a high-level meeting with authorities to discuss anti-pollution measures, Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that petrol pumps will be outfitted with technology to identify overage vehicles and restrict fuel delivery to them.

The goal of the action is to reduce vehicle emissions and control air pollution in the city, which continues to be a problem for the locals.

Speaking to reporters, the minister stated that the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas would notify the petrol pump owners after receiving notification from the Delhi government regarding the decision.

There are about 500 gas and fuel stations in the city.

“We are installing devices at our gas stations that can recognize cars that are more than 15 years old. Fuel won’t be given to them,” Sirsa declared.

After March 31, diesel-powered vehicles older than ten years would also not be allowed to use gasoline, a senior Delhi government official told PTI.

Rough estimates place the number of overage vehicles at about 55 lakh, with two-wheelers accounting for 66% and four-wheelers for 54%, the officer said.

The official provided additional information regarding the new regulations’ implementation, stating that numerous gas stations in Delhi have already placed cameras with artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor for violations of the pollution under control (PUC) certificate regulations.

“At the moment, these cameras identify cars without a PUC certificate, and the employees at the petrol pump refuse to fill them up. These AI-enabled cameras can also be used to determine a vehicle’s age. We must enhance our system for this,” the officer continued.

According to him, these devices will soon be installed on petrol pumps that do not currently have them.

Additionally, teams will be sent out by the Delhi government to find excess vehicles and make sure they are either kept out of the city or, if they are already there, removed.

The government’s move is consistent with a Supreme Court decision from 2018 that outlawed gasoline-powered vehicles over 15 years old and diesel vehicles over 10 years old in Delhi. A 2014 National Green Tribunal ruling forbids parking cars older than 15 in public spaces.

In an effort to encourage cleaner and more sustainable transportation, the government also intends to gradually replace roughly 90% of Delhi’s CNG-powered public transportation buses with electric vehicles by December 2025.

By 2026, the Delhi government plans to acquire 11,000 buses, including about 8,000 e-buses.

According to Sirsa, 3,680 e-buses will be purchased by September of this year in an effort to persuade people to use public transportation for their everyday commute.

Another official told the minister during the meeting that there are about 7,600 buses operating in Delhi, including 2002 e-buses.

More than 50% of Delhi’s pollution comes from local sources connected to the city’s disjointed transportation system, according to a report released in November by the Centre for Science and Environment. Vehicle emissions are the main cause of Delhi’s wintertime pollution, surpassing even stubble burning, road dust, and firecracker explosions.

“The Supreme Court has already banned vehicles older than 15 years in Delhi,” said Nischal Singhania, head of the Delhi Petrol Dealers Association, who praised the action.

Vehicles lacking pollution under control (PUC) certificates can already be detected by our equipment. He stated, “I believe those can be used to detect vehicles older than 15 years.”

According to environmentalist Bhavreen Kandhari, no scientific investigation has demonstrated that air pollution is only caused by cars that are more than 15 years old.

“Instead, the government should concentrate on reducing emissions and tackling the main sources of pollution, like construction sites, industries, and fossil fuel plants situated in the center of the city,” she stated. (PTI)

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The Delhi government said that after March 31, there would be no gasoline for overage automobiles.

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