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Delhi Government has expressed an inclination to approach the Top Court seeking review of its 2018 order restricting 15 year old petrol vehicles and 10 year old diesel vehicles, in accordance with the Voluntary Vehicle Scrapping Policy announced by the Centre.

On March 18, 2021, Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari made a statement about Vehicle Scrapping Policy in Lok Sabha;

“In the interest of a clean environment and rider and pedestrian safety, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is introducing the Voluntary Vehicle-Fleet Modernization Program (VVMP) or “Vehicle Scrapping Policy” which is aimed at creating an Eco-System for phasing out of Unfit and Polluting Vehicles.”

Delhi Transport Minister, Kailash Gahlot recently said that there are new regulations that allow even older vehicles with proper fitness to ply, but they can’t be implemented due to the Supreme Court order of 2018.

The minister said, “We will apprise the Court that there has been this development…and if it could please review the order.”

Supreme Court bench of Justice Madan B. Lokur, Justice S. Abdul Nazeer and Justice Deepak Gupta, vide order dated October 29, 2018 had issued the following directions:

1. The Transport Departments of NCR will immediately announce that all the diesel vehicles more than 10 years old and petrol vehicles more than 15 years old shall not ply in NCR in terms of the order of the National Green Tribunal dated April 7, 2015.
2. The list of such vehicles be published on the websites of the Central Pollution Control Board and the Transport Departments of NCR, in addition to, advertisements in local newspapers for the convenience of vehicle owners.
3. CPCB to immediately create a social media account on which the citizens may lodge their complaint directly to be acted upon by the Task Force responsible for implementation of Graded Response Action Plan.
4. Environmental Pollution Control Authority permitted to take pre-emptive steps under the Graded Response Action Plan without strict adherence to pollution stages delineated in the plan.

The order of the National Green Tribunal was challenged before the Top Court and the Civil Appeals were dismissed.

With Inputs from The Times Of India