IN DEFENCE OF DELHI'S OLD-VEHICLE BAN

End-of-life vehicles make a 'significant contribution' to air pollution in the city and its neighbourhood; though a rollback on the ban has been thwarted for now, it's still possible

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It took just two days for Delhi's drive to enforce a 10-year-old ban on overage vehicles to fizzle out.

The two days, July 1 and 2, saw many protests, mostly on social media. It was enough for the BJP-led Delhi government to suspend the operation to deny fuel to these vehicles and seize them. In sharp contrast, there were few posts by authorities or even clean air advocates countering the protests with science and data, especially about the health impact.

The rollback is a test of political will for Delhi's — and even India's — fight against air pollution. The damage can be deep unless the government shows it means business and gets 10and 15-year-old vehicles off the road one way or the other.

The enforcement agency has passed Part 1 of the test. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has agreed to the Delhi government's push to suspend the operation. But it is a temporary relief. From November 1, overage vehicles will be targeted not just in Delhi but also in five cities bordering it, that is, Gurugram, Faridabad, and Sonipat in Haryana, and Noida and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh.

Larger sweep

By April 1, 2026, the ban will be extended to a wider area, the National Capital Region, which includes much of Haryana and parts of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

But there is no place for complacency. First, the roll-out of the key policing technology — the ANPR, or automated number plate recognition cameras — is the responsibility of the governments. The CAQM wants monthly reports on the preparation for the ban. Second, the argument by several protesters that overage vehicle does not mean a polluting vehicle will not stand scrutiny.