Just 1.4 lakh Delhiites got old vehicles scrapped, 6 times more got NOCs for use in other cities: 2022-23 govt data

In contrast, 1,40,342 were scrapped in the same period, data shows.

Following the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and Supreme Court orders, the transport department in December 2021 announced that all diesel and petrol vehicles that completed 10 and 15 years respectively will be de-registered. The key aim behind this move was to reduce vehicular pollution in Delhi.

Said a senior transport department official, “People have some form of an attachment with their vehicles… also a large number are not interested in getting their vehicles scrapped because the scrap value is way less than what they invested (to buy it)… For instance, a Mercedes or a BMW is expensive but the scrap value offered is around Rs 50,000 to Rs 70,000. In such cases, people prefer to sell the vehicle in other states and get a better deal. Many people who have relatives or extended family in other states like UP, Rajasthan etc get it registered there and use it…”

The department started the de-registration process in January 2022 and initially, de-registered 1,0,1247 diesel vehicles. After that, both petrol and diesel vehicles were de-registered gradually in the next few months.

As part of this, the department gave multiple options to vehicle owners on what to do with their ‘end of live’ (ELV) vehicle — get an NOC and shift the vehicle to another state, get it scrapped at a government-authorised scrapyard, or retrofitted with electric kits through empanelled agencies approved by Transport department (retrofitment of the vehicles still under process).

Besides, the department also launched an enforcement drive against all ELVs found plying or parked in public places — they were impounded and sent to the scrapyard. About 14,000 vehicles were impounded from April to August last year.

Further, data shows that due to the crackdown on overaged vehicles, the number of total registered vehicles dropped to 79,45,596 in 2022-23 from 1,22,53,350 registered in 2020-21.

Further, the handbook shows that till March 31, 2023, Delhi has 20,71,115 registered cars and jeeps; 52,94,900 motorcycles and scooters; 93,654 auto-rickshaws; and 1,18,506 e-rickshaws that provide last-mile connectivity. Data also shows that the number of taxis came down from 85,079 in 2021-22 to 83,278 in 2022-23.

The handbook containing data on the socioeconomic parameters of the national capital was released by the Delhi government’s economic and statistics department.