## Policy Summary: Enforcement Timeline Extension for Fuel Denial to End-of-Life Vehicles in Delhi NCR
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in NCR and Adjoining Areas has extended the enforcement timeline for Statutory Direction No. 89, which mandates the denial of fuel to End-of-Life (EoL) vehicles in Delhi NCR. This decision, made during the CAQM's 24th meeting, partially amends the original direction issued on April 23, 2025.
The revised enforcement dates are as follows:
* **November 1, 2025:** Implementation in the NCT of Delhi and five high vehicle density (HVD) districts of NCR: Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar, and Sonipat.
* **April 1, 2026:** Implementation in the rest of the NCR.
This extension addresses operational and infrastructural challenges raised by the Government of NCT of Delhi (GNCTD) regarding the Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system. Concerns included technological glitches, camera placement, sensor and speaker functionality, and incomplete integration with neighboring NCR states' databases, especially regarding High Security Registration Plates (HSRP). The GNCTD also highlighted potential issues with equitable treatment under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and potential hardship to vehicle owners if EoL status is based solely on vehicle age without considering fitness or emissions.
The amendment aims to allow sufficient time for GNCTD to resolve technological gaps within the ANPR system and enable simultaneous enforcement across Delhi and the five HVD districts. Despite the delayed implementation, the CAQM emphasized the continued prohibition of EoL vehicles on public roads in Delhi-NCR and directed strict enforcement action, including impounding, regardless of the method of detection (ANPR, manual checks, etc.). Disposal of impounded vehicles should be in accordance with RVSF Rules, 2021 and other extant policies of the respective State Governments and the GNCTD.
The Transport Departments of GNCTD and NCR States are directed to ensure proper installation and operation of the ANPR system, conduct trials, train personnel, and disseminate information to stakeholders, including fuel stations. The CAQM will require monthly reports on actions taken to liquidate EoL vehicles.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change: The Indian government ministry responsible for environmental protection and climate change policies.
Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM): The commission responsible for managing air quality in the National Capital Region (NCR) and surrounding areas.
NCT of Delhi: National Capital Territory of Delhi, a union territory of India.
NCR: National Capital Region, a metropolitan region in India encompassing Delhi and parts of several surrounding states.
End-of-Life Vehicles (EoL vehicles): Vehicles that are considered to be at the end of their useful life and are subject to specific regulations.
Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR): A surveillance technology that uses optical character recognition on images to read the license plates of vehicles.
Motor Vehicles Act, 1988: An act of the Parliament of India that regulates all aspects of road transport vehicles.
Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar and Sonipat: Five high vehicle density districts of NCR. Gurugram and Faridabad are located in Haryana State. Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar and Sonipat are located in Uttar Pradesh State.
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
CAQM extends the timeline for enforcement of the
Direction to deny fuelling to End-of-Life Vehicles in
Delhi NCR, in its 24th meeting held today
The Direction to be enforced simultaneously in NCT
of Delhi and 5 adjoining High Vehicle Density
Districts of NCR from 01.11.2025, and in rest of NCR
from 01.04.2026, after addressing technological gaps
Posted On: 08 JUL 2025 10:25PM by PIB Delhi
The 24th Meeting of the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM)
was held today, during which issue related to implementation of Direction No. 89 pertaining to denial of fuel
and immediate applicable legal action against EoL vehicles, as flagged by GNCTD was deliberated upon.
After detailed deliberations, CAQM took the call to amend Statutory Direction No.89 extending the
timeline for enforcement of the Direction in NCT of Delhi. This decision was taken with an aim to
address technological gaps and to enable simultaneous enforcement of Statutory Direction No. 89
across NCT of Delhi and 5 adjoining High Vehicle Density districts of NCR to 01.11.2025, while in
rest of NCR from 01.04.2026.
The Government of NCT of Delhi (GNCTD) vide letter dated 03.07.2025 has brought to the
attention of the Commission some operational and infrastructural challenges in implementation of
Direction No. 89 dated 23.04.2025, inter alia, stating that while it is fully aligned with the
Commission’s objective to phase out older, polluting vehicles and has been complying with the
directions of the Hon’ble NGT and the Hon’ble Supreme Court regarding the ban on EoL vehicles,
the Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system lacks the requisite robustness, with
issues related to technological glitches, camera placement, working of sensors and speakers, and
that the system is not yet fully integrated with the database of neighboring NCR States; furthermore,
the system is unable to identify EoL vehicles in cases where there are issues related to High
Security Registration Plates (HSRP), and these challenges require proper trial and error corrections
prior to its implementation.
Further, it was stated by the GNCTD that stage-wise implementation would not serve its intended
purpose, as it is likely to result in vehicle owners procuring fuel from adjacent districts, thereby
circumventing the ban and potentially fostering an illegal cross-border fuel market. Keeping in view
the difficulties, it was urged by the GNCTD to put the implementation of Direction No. 89 on hold
with immediate effect until the ANPR system is seamlessly integrated across the entire NCR.
Further, the Chief Secretary, GNCTD vide letter dated 07.07.2025 citing Section 59 of the Motor Vehicles
Act, 1988, expressed that the enforcement of geographically restricted EoL thresholds in Delhi, while
identical vehicles continue to operate legally in other cities across the nation, raises legitimate questions
concerning legal certainty and equitable treatment under the same national statute. The Chief Secretary,
GNCTD further stated that defining EoL status solely based on the passage of time, without factoring in
crucial aspects such as vehicle fitness, actual emission performance, or usage, may not fully align with the
broader legislative spirit of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and also highlighted the hardship to middle-classcitizens and vehicle owners.
The Chief Secretary, GNCTD requested the Commission to consider relaxing the directions pertaining to the
denial of fuel to EoL vehicles in Delhi.
It is pertinent to mention that while EoL vehicles are deregistered by the concerned authorities in
compliance with the orders of the Hon’ble NGT, these vehicles cease to have any legal sanctity for
plying on public roads in Delhi-NCR. Strict enforcement action is required to be taken against such
vehicles in accordance with the orders of the Hon’ble NGT and the Hon’ble Supreme Court,
irrespective of the mode of detection, whether such vehicles are identified through ANPR camera
systems, manual checks or any other mechanism. It is imperative that all such vehicles, once
identified, are subjected to appropriate legal action including impounding.
The Commission, in view of the concerns raised by the Government of NCT of Delhi and after
th
detailed deliberation of all issues raised by GNCTD, in its 24 meeting held today has decided to
partially amend clause (ii) of the Direction No. 89 dated 23.04.2025 as under:
“(ii) All EoL vehicles identified through the ANPR cameras system or other such systems installed at
the fuel pump stations shall be denied fueling w.e.f. 01.11.2025 in the NCT of Delhi and 5 high
vehicle density districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar and
Sonipat and w.e.f. 01.04.2026 in the rest of NCR. Immediate legal action should be taken in
respect of such EoL vehicles, including impounding and further disposal in accordance with RVSF
Rules, 2021 and other extant policies of the respective State Governments and the GNCTD.”
The amendment to the Direction No. 89 shall allow GNCTD some more time to address the technological
gaps in implementation of ANPR system and shall also align enforcement across the NCT of Delhi with the
enforcement in 5 HVD Districts of NCR i.e. Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar and
Sonipat w.e.f. 01.11.2025.
Further, the Transport Department of GNCTD and the NCR States have been directed to ensure
proper installation and operation of the ANPR system. The Transport Departments have also been
directed to ensure that trial of the ANPR system is conducted and training of manpower is done in a
timely manner. They shall also widely disseminate this direction amongst all stakeholders including
fuel stations and ensure its strict compliance through effective enforcement measures.
Concerted actions initiated by all the concerned agencies towards liquidation of the large fleet of
End-of-Life vehicles shall be reported to the Commission on a monthly basis.*****
VM/GS
(Release ID: 2143268)