Elitist Edicts to Junk Vehicles Don't Work

People's power has prevailed. The Delhi government has backed down and put on hold its senseless ban on old vehicles, wrongly called "end-of-life" vehicles or ELFs.

- MANDAR PARDIKAR

It was a draconian edict, if ever there was one. CCTV cameras aimed at number plates were calibrated to spot diesel cars over 10 years old and petrol cars over 15 years. These cars were then denied fuel.

The order also allowed imposition of hefty fines and for impounding of vehicles. As the first cars began to be seized at petrol pumps, fear gripped the capital. The future of as many as 62 lakh vehicle owners was on the block. Mercedes Benz owners, who said they had bought their cars at Rs 30 lakh or more, were forced to sell them off at a pittance, often less than Rs 2 lakh.

Uproar followed. The Delhi BJP government had underestimated the pushback. It was so strong, there was no option but to relent.

The 1 July order of Delhi's Commission of Air Quality Management (CAQM) was meant to curb vehicular pollution in the national capital. CAQM also cited a string of court orders that had directed it to take action to reduce pollution in the city.

Western norms

In many ways this is an elitist response. It apes norms in more developed countries where routinely old vehicles are scrapped as people upgrade to better and more 'loaded' models of cars. However, income levels in these societies are far above those in India. Owning a car in Europe or the US is not a luxury, and roads and other infrastructure allows for efficient vehicular mobility.