Explained: Centre’s vehicle scrapping policy is at variance with Delhi-NCR rules, here’s how

The Delhi Transport Department has reiterated in a public notice that old vehicles are not allowed on the roads of Delhi and in the National Capital Region. What is the Centre's vehicle scrapping policy, and is it at variance with the rules applicable in Delhi-NCR?

Vehicles at the Delhi-Gurgaon border (Express Photo: Abhinav Saha, File)

3 min readNew DelhiSep 2, 2021 11:16 AM IST First published on: Sep 2, 2021 at 11:16 AM IST

The Delhi Transport Department has reiterated in a public notice that diesel vehicles over 10 years old and petrol vehicles over 15 years old are not allowed on the roads of Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR).

The notice was issued following confusion among people over the automobile scrapping policy launched by the Union government. The notice makes it clear that not all provisions of the Centre’s policy will be applicable in Delhi-NCR.

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What does the Centre’s scrapping policy say?

Under the policy, launched on August 14, old vehicles clearing an automated fitness test are allowed to ply. The central policy states that commercial vehicles over 15 years old and personal vehicles over 20 years old will have to scrapped only if they fail an automated fitness test. It does not classify vehicles based on their fuel type.

Bodies of cars at scrap market at Mayapuri in New Delhi. (Express Photo: Praveen Khanna, File)

Is it at variance with the rules applicable in Delhi-NCR?

Yes, in the sense that in Delhi-NCR, the classification in terms of vehicles that have overshot their operational age is done based on type of fuel. The rules state that diesel vehicles over 10 years old and petrol vehicles more than 15 years old “shall not ply” on the roads of Delhi-NCR and are “liable to be impounded and invite necessary penal action under Motor Vehicles Act, 1988” due to the region’s hazardous levels of air pollution.

But aren’t Registration Certificates (RC) valid for 15 years?

Yes, RCs are valid for 15 years. But the Transport Department has clarified that notwithstanding the validity of the RCs, renewal will not be allowed in Delhi-NCR once a diesel vehicle crosses 10 years. However, no-objection certificates will be issued to diesel vehicles aged between 10-15 years old for re-registration in certain states.

Which are the states?

According to government regulations, there are six states — Rajasthan (entire state), Bihar (18), Maharashtra (26), Uttar Pradesh (33), West Bengal (only BS-IV variants in Kolkata and BS-III, BS-IV in other districts) and Meghalaya (entire state).

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Will my old vehicle be impounded if I take it out?

So far, the authorities are not aggressively cracking down on old vehicles, and instead trying to raise awareness first. It is primarily due to the fact that such vehicles, including two-wheelers, number around 37 lakh out of Delhi’s over one crore registered vehicles.

Also, there are only six authorised scrapping centres which will not be able to handle the load adequately if all old vehicles head to the scrapping yards at one go. Moreover, the municipal corporations have been complaining since 2018 that the 26-odd centres where confiscated vehicles are junked are running out of space.

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