Daijiworld Media Network- New Delhi

New Delhi, Jun 25: In a significant move to curb air pollution, the Delhi government has rolled out a set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for petrol pumps across the capital ahead of the enforcement of the fuel ban on End-of-Life (EoL) vehicles, starting July 1.

As per the directive issued by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), refuelling will be strictly prohibited for diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol/CNG vehicles older than 15 years, irrespective of the state in which the vehicle is registered.

To ensure effective implementation, the SOPs issued by the transport department on June 17 mandate all fuel stations in Delhi to put up clear signage reading: “Fuel will not be dispensed to End of Life Vehicles — i.e., 15 years old Petrol/CNG and 10 years old Diesel w.e.f. on July 1”

Petrol pump staff will be trained on the new regulations and procedures for denying fuel to outdated vehicles. In addition, fuel stations are required to maintain manual or digital logs of all transactions where fuel is denied, and submit weekly reports to the transport department through its official portal.

The Delhi Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation (DTIDC) will oversee the functioning of Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) camera systems installed at fuel stations.

These cameras will capture the registration details of every vehicle entering a fuel station, flag non-compliant EoL vehicles in real-time, and trigger an audio warning for such entries.

To raise awareness, DTIDC has been tasked with disseminating information about the fuel ban through FM radio, newspapers, and direct outreach to fuel stations. Monitoring teams will also be deployed at fuel pumps, particularly those witnessing high volumes of EoL vehicles, to ensure strict enforcement.

Fuel stations found violating the directive will face penalties under Section 192 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. Additionally, identified EoL vehicles will be subject to legal action, including immediate impounding and disposal. Weekly reports of non-compliant stations will be forwarded to the CAQM and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas for further action.

The new SOPs are in line with the 2018 Supreme Court ruling that banned the use of diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles over 15 years in Delhi. A 2014 National Green Tribunal order also prohibited such vehicles from being parked in public spaces.