Overview

• The CAQM amended Direction No. 89 to delay the ban on refuelling petrol cars over 15 years old and diesel vehicles over 10 years old until November 1 across Delhi and five high-density NCR districts – Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar and Sonipat.
• Delhi’s Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa and Lt. Governor VK Saxena urged the postponement as premature and unfair to middle-class owners, warning of legal and operational pitfalls.
• Authorities are working to resolve technological glitches in ANPR cameras, sensor malfunctions and gaps in database integration to ensure reliable vehicle age verification.
• VAHAN data show about 6.2 million end-of-life vehicles registered in Delhi, while an RTI response revealed 312 over-age police cars and traffic units have impounded over 18,000 old vehicles since January 2025.
• Chief Minister Rekha Gupta intends to petition the Supreme Court for uniform national standards on vehicle age restrictions to prevent fragmented enforcement across states.