No Fuel for End-of-Life Vehicles: Delhi Launches Strict Ban from July 1, Deploys High-Tech Surveillance to Enforce Rule

New Delhi: In a landmark move to curb vehicular pollution, the Delhi government has begun enforcing a complete ban on fuel supply to all End-of-Life (EOL) vehicles starting today. The new directive, issued by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), aims to prevent refuelling of petrol vehicles older than 15 years and diesel vehicles older than 10 years across the capital, irrespective of their state of registration.

To ensure watertight implementation, the Delhi Transport Department, in coordination with Delhi Police and traffic authorities, has rolled out a comprehensive enforcement plan. Notices displayed at fuel stations now clearly state, “Fuel will not be dispensed to end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) – 15-year-old petrol and 10-year-old diesel vehicles from July 1, 2025.” Additionally, petrol pumps have installed CCTV cameras and public address systems to monitor refuelling activity and warn violators.

An advanced Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system has been introduced across fuel stations to automatically capture vehicle registration numbers and flag any EOL vehicles in real time. The Delhi Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation (DTIDC) is supervising the smooth functioning of these automated systems.

Petrol station staff have been instructed to rigorously follow the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), which includes training to identify EOL vehicles and maintaining a manual or digital record of denial transactions. These records will be reported every week to the Transport Department through its official portal.

Failure to comply with the new restrictions will invite action against the fuel station operators. As per the guidelines, violators could be penalised under Section 192 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and the names of non-compliant stations will be forwarded weekly to the CAQM and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.