Delhi govt may move SC or NGT to seek changes in norms for old vehicles

The Delhi government will approach the Supreme Court or the National Green Tribunal seeking relaxation in norms under which 10-year-old diesel and 15-year-old petrol vehicles are automatically deregistered, transport minister Kailash Gahlot said on Wednesday.

Gahlot said Delhi is in a “peculiar situation” compared to other states because certain sections of the Centre’s proposed scrapping policy will not apply to the Capital, owing to orders by the apex court and the NGT.

The Centre’s policy allows 15-year-old private vehicles to ply, but with a much higher re-registration fee and strictly on the basis of a fresh fitness certificate. On the other hand, the top court, on October 29, 2018, prohibited 15-year-old petrol and 10-year-old diesel vehicles in the National Capital Region, and directed the transport department and police to impound such vehicles.

The rule in Delhi applies to cars and two-wheelers.

“Directions have been given to the transport commissioner to move an application immediately before the appropriate forum. The Union transport ministry mentions in its guidelines that those vehicles with proper fitness even after their expiry can ply, but the situation in Delhi is peculiar. In Delhi, the registration is automatically suspended after completion of the vehicle’s life span,” said Gahlot.

Senior officials said it was due to this stringent rule in the Delhi-NCR region that the city’s scrapping policy has not been abe to gather steam. Delhi was the first state/UT to frame a vehicle scrapping policy in 2018. Government records show that from 2018 to May 31, 2021, only 2,879 old vehicles registered in Delhi have been scrapped.