New Delhi, July 3 (IANS) The Delhi High Court has agreed to examine a plea challenging the city government’s policy to penalise and prosecute the petrol pump owners if they refuel ‘end-of-life’ (EoL) vehicles — petrol vehicles older than 15 years and diesel vehicles older than 10 years.

A bench of Justice Mini Pushkarna issued notice and sought responses from the Delhi government and the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on the plea filed by the Delhi Petrol Dealers Association.

As per the petition, the “arbitrary” and “irrational” SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) issued by the city government have burdened the petrol pump owners and their attendants with an additional responsibility of implementing Motor Vehicles Act — without them being necessarily equipped or authorised under the law to carry out such a responsibility.

The plea will likely be heard next on September 8.

To reduce emissions and improve air quality in the national capital, which frequently ranks among the world’s most polluted cities, the Delhi government has begun enforcing strict new rules on EoL vehicles.

According to directives issued by the CAQM, all petrol pumps across the National Capital Territory (NCT) will deny fuel to old vehicles identified through AI-powered Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras.

AI-enabled cameras installed at petrol stations will automatically identify outdated vehicles using number plate data. Once recognised, these vehicles will be flagged in the system to prevent fuel issuance.

To support real-time detection, 498 fuel stations have been equipped with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras. Not only will EOL vehicles be disallowed to refuel at petrol or diesel stations, but these vehicles will also be liable for heavy fines if found in public places.

Four-wheeler owners violating the rule will be fined Rs 10,000, while two-wheeler owners will face a penalty of Rs 5,000.

Authorities have also announced that EOL vehicles found parked in public places or near fuel stations will be seized, and advised vehicle owners to verify the registration status of their vehicles and avoid using outdated vehicles to prevent penalties and seizure.

The crackdown follows the alarming findings by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), whose November 2024 analysis found that vehicles contribute 51 per cent of pollution from all local emission sources in Delhi — making them the single largest source of air pollution in the city.

The petition demanded that the Delhi High Court set aside the city government’s policy to the extent it seeks to prosecute and penalise fuel station owners under Section 192 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

–IANS

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