Old cars can’t even pass through Delhi: Police explain the ban

The capital of India, Delhi has become one of the most polluted cities in the world in recent times. The Supreme Court of India imposed a ban on the 10-year old diesel vehicles and 15-years old petrol vehicles in the Delhi region. Many commuters were perplexed with this new ruling and often ask questions to the cops on the same matter. Well, Delhi Police has explained the ruling pretty clearly in a video and here is what they have to say.

Earlier many people had the doubt that the new ruling only affects the vehicles that are registered in Delhi and if the vehicle is carrying a non-Delhi registration number, the ruling does not affect them. However, the Supreme Court order is a blanket ban and does not depend on the place of registration of the vehicle. Any diesel vehicle which is more than 10 years old and any petrol vehicle that is more than 15 years old are not allowed on the roads of the capital city of India.

On the first offence, the police officers will issue a court challan. The court will decide what to do with the vehicle and there is a minimum fine of Rs. 15,000. On first time offence, the court will also make the owner of the vehicle sign an affidavit which will be a guarantee that the vehicle will not be brought back to the roads of Delhi ever again. The court can even order the cops to seize the vehicle at the first instance. As it is a new rule, not many cases are out there which are known to the public.

Delhi Police and the Delhi Traffic Police have started stopping random vehicles in the city to check their Registration Certificate. It should be noted that even the Delhi RTOs have been directed to not issue NOC for old vehicles that can be used to sell the vehicles to a different state. Delhi RTOs will also not extend the registration period of such old vehicles. It was done to ensure that old vehicles do not pollute the air of the city. The NGT also ordered a ban on the parking of any vehicle, which is more than 15 years old in the public area.

This ruling has caused the prices of luxury cars and old diesel vehicles to drop down sharply in Delhi. Most of the people who could not get a NOC or extend the fitness certificate of the vehicle are selling at a very cheap price to salvage anything from the vehicle. It is not yet known what will happen to such vehicles as there is no scraping policy in India yet. In many developed countries, old cars are scrapped and recycled properly and the seller get a handsome amount of money but there is no such facility available in India as of now.