Delhi L-G Saxena urges CM to reconsider blanket fuel ban on old vehicles

Amid mounting public concerns over the blanket fuel ban on end-of-life (EOL) vehicles in Delhi, Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has written to Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, urging a comprehensive rethink of the policy.

The Commission for Air Quality Management directive, which has now been revoked, barred petrol pumps from refuelling diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol ones over 15 years starting July 1, has triggered confusion and criticism across the city.

In a detailed letter, L-G Saxena said the implementation of the CAQM’s directive is fraught with practical, legal, and socio-economic challenges.

He acknowledged the CM’s recent meeting with him on the issue and the Environment Minister’s appeal to CAQM seeking a deferment of the order, citing technical hurdles and uneven enforcement across NCR.

Calling the fuel embargo on older vehicles "perhaps in need of a comprehensive reappraisal," Saxena flagged that the directive could violate the principle of legal certainty and equal treatment.

“It is irrational to imagine that a 10-year-old diesel vehicle is deemed illegal in Delhi while remaining roadworthy in other Indian cities under the same law,” he wrote, pointing out that the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, provides for uniform rules across the country.

He further said that defining EOL status solely by age — without considering mechanical condition, emissions, or usage — could unfairly penalise middle-class families who rely on such vehicles. "Many such vehicles are well-maintained and compliant with emission norms, yet their owners are being forced to sell them at junk rates,” Saxena noted, terming this a “travesty of justice.”

While reaffirming the seriousness of Delhi's pollution crisis, Saxena called for a proportionate and balanced enforcement mechanism rather than a rigid age-based approach. He urged the government to consider technological options like retrofitting, emissions testing, and hybrid categorisation before scrapping vehicles.

The LG also stressed that vehicular pollution is just one of many contributors to Delhi’s toxic air — alongside stubble burning, weather conditions, construction dust, and traffic congestion — and that the government must pursue a holistic plan rather than rely solely on punitive vehicle bans.

Criticising the previous government for focusing only on scrapping policies without offering alternatives, Saxena called for pollution control strategies grounded in “legality, fairness, and socio-economic sensitivity.”