Crackdown on old vehicles in public parking spots in Delhi to return

“We will start the drive after Diwali but if the pollution level deteriorates before this, the enforcement team will start the drive and impound overage vehicles parked in public places,” said an official. On Tuesday, the transport department issued a public notice, along with guidelines, appealing to the public to park their overage vehicles in the individual parking area. Failure to do so could see the vehicles being lifted by the transport authorities.

“The Delhi government has de-registered 5.5 million overage vehicles that have completed more than 10 years (diesel) and 15 years (petrol)… There is a complete prohibition on parking overage vehicles, including in areas outside the residences that are considered public places,” the notice stated, citing figures till October 1.
The deregistered vehicles include cars, two-wheelers, e-rickshaws, autorickshaws, trucks and tempos, among others.

Transport department officials have advised owners of overage vehicles to park their vehicles in individual private parking; even if it’s part of a residential complex, he/she should park only in the space allotted to them to avoid lifting and scrapping.

Besides, owners also have options to obtain a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) to move the vehicle out of Delhi within a year of it crossing the ‘age limit’ or get it scrapped from a registered scrapper. “No NOC for vehicles will be issued after one year of them crossing the age limit,” said the department.

Further, if the vehicle has not been moved out of Delhi within a month of NOC issuance, it will be impounded and sent to a scrapping unit, officials said. “Offenders may also be prosecuted according to the ELV (end-of-life vehicles) guidelines 2024,” said officials.

The aggressive campaign follows the directions of the Commission for Air Quality Management and Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena.

The MCD has been running a drive against ELVs since March last year. “The corporation is lifting vehicles parked in public spaces and getting them scrapped through the RVSFs (Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facilities),” said another official.

Officials added that the Special Commissioner (Traffic) held a meeting with all the enforcement agencies a couple of weeks ago. The traffic police have also asked all the RVSFs and departments concerned to submit a list of vehicles scrapped last year and until October 8 this year with their make, model and registration numbers. Further, the traffic police also has plans to intensify its crackdown on illegal e-rickshaws.