Off the road

Vehicle pollution needs structured solutions

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The rescinding of the fuel ban on "end of life vehicles" (ELVs) barely two days after it came into effect reflects the problems with a well-intentioned but impractical approach to the knotty problem of reducing toxic air-pollution norms in Delhi.

The city was a test case. Under the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) directive, the ban was to be phased in throughout the National Capital Region (NCR)—from July 1 in Delhi, November 1 in "high-density" districts in the NCR, and from April 1, 2026, in the rest of the NCR. The rules covered diesel vehicles over 10 years old and petrol cars over 15 years old.

To be sure, this CAQM directive has been upheld by courts for at least a decade. There was a 2014 order by the National Green Tribunal, and it was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.