June 21, 2025 - Starting July 1, 2025, Delhi fuel stations will deny refill requests for end-of-life vehicles (ELVs)  - diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years - regardless of their registration status.

The initiative, led by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), is rooted in environmental directives and aims to curb vehicular emissions ahead of winter. Around 500 fuel stations in the city are being equipped with ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) cameras to detect ELVs. Installations of these cameras are to be completed by June 30, 2025.

Earlier, the plan was targeted for April 1 rollout but installation of tracking systems could not be completed on time, hence the delay.

According to information shared to the media by a Delhi government official, “Only around 15 fuel stations of the 500 fuel stations across the city are yet to get the required system installed such as cameras to identify ELVs as soon as they enter the fuel stations for refilling. Around 485 fuel stations, including CNG stations, have completed installation of the required ANPR systems. Only 15 remain. Once all stations are equipped, the rollout will begin.”

The cameras will scan license plates, cross-check with the VAHAN database, and trigger real-time alerts to enforcement teams. Identified vehicles will be denied fuel and may be impounded or towed under relevant statutes.

Starting November 1, 2025, similar measures will be extended to Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar and Sonipat. From April 1, 2026, the ban will spread to other NCR regions.

Around 6.11 million (61 lakh) ELVs in Delhi contribute significantly to poor air quality. The CAQM has directed immediate action including impoundment and scrapping. The department has advised owners of such vehicles to either obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to take them outside the NCR or have them scrapped at a Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facility (RVSF). 

Environmental experts and activists have hailed the move as a major step toward phasing out heavily polluting vehicles. However, some argue that vehicle condition matters more than age, fearing the policy may simply shift pollution to nearby NCR cities. Fuel station operators are also cautious about potential confrontations with end-of-life vehicle owners and have called for better law enforcement cooperation.

A 2018 Supreme Court order had called for a ban in Delhi on diesel vehicles more than 10 years old and petrol vehicles more than 15 years old. Additionally, a 2014 order by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) disallows the parking of such vehicles in public areas.