Middle Class Backlash Or Political Pressure? Why Delhi Govt Wants Fuel Ban For Overage Vehicles On Hold

(MENAFN- Live Mint) The Delhi government on July 3 urged the Centre's air quality panel to immediately suspend the fuel ban on overage vehicles and said it will make "all out efforts" to resolve issues related to restrictions on the movement of end-of-life vehicles on city roads.

In his letter to the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) chairman Rajesh Verma, Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the fuel ban is not feasible and cannot be implemented due to technological challenges.

The move came three days after the ban became effective in the national capital. On Thursday, the traffic police and transport department teams impounded no overage vehicle.

Starting July 1, all end-of-life (EOL) vehicles - diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years - irrespective of the state in which they are registered, cannot be fuelled in Delhi, according to a directive by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM).

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But what prompted the Delhi government to rethink the decision days after implementing it? Was it outrage from the middle class as seen on social media or political pressure that pushed the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the national capital to seek more time to implement the decision?

Sirsa, the capital's environment minister, said that the system being used to identify old vehicles was not fully functional. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the decision was affecting the lives and livelihoods of“lakhs of families.”

'Affecting the lives and livelihoods'

CM Gupta said her government is working on long-term solutions for clean and sustainable transportation, after the minister's letter was public.

“This decision is adversely affecting the daily lives and livelihoods of millions of families. Our government is fully committed to controlling air pollution and is working on long-term solutions for clean, sustainable transport," Gupta said in a post on X.

Through this letter sent by Sirsa ji, we have urged that, keeping the public interest paramount , this order should be immediately suspended and a practical, equitable and phased solution should be prepared by consulting all the stakeholders, she said.

"The Delhi Government always stands with the people of Delhi with its resolve for public welfare and public facilities.”

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The decision to ban end-of-life vehicles from the roads of Delhi as well as NCR (National Capital Region) is not new. A 2018 Supreme Court ruling banned diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years in Delhi. A 2014 National Green Tribunal order also prohibits the parking of vehicles aged over 15 years in public areas.

'Ban not feasible'

In the letter, Sirsa said the fuel ban is not feasible and that it cannot be implemented due to technological challenges.

"In view of the hardships being faced by the citizens of Delhi, our government has written to the CAQM, requesting a reconsideration of the decision to stop supplying fuel to end-of-life (EOL) vehicles. This decision is adversely affecting the daily lives and livelihoods of millions of families," Gupta said in a post on X in Hindi.

She said her government is fully committed to controlling air pollution and is working on long-term solutions for clean and sustainable transportation.

"However, while implementing any decision, it is equally important to maintain a balance with the social and economic needs of the citizens," she added.

The ban on overage vehicles in Delhi is not new, but the way it is being implemented by denying fuel at petrol pumps is new. The decision to deny fuel impacts the middle class , a vote bank that substantially supported the BJP when it came to power in the national capital after 27 years in February 2025.

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Social media has been abuzz with public anger over the ban ever since it has been implemented.

Middle Class Anger

A majority of Delhi vehicle owners (79 per cent) are against the 'fuel ban for old vehicles' rule, according to a new survey released on July 3. In the survey by LocalCircles, people were asked whether they supported the Delhi government 's new rule that petrol pumps cannot sell fuel to 10-year-old diesel and 15-year-old petrol vehicles (including two-wheelers).

Out of 16,907 who responded to the question, 79 per cent said“no,” and the remaining 21 per cent said“yes.”

The opposition has also criticised the ban. Aam Aadmi Party leader and former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia called the move a 'Tughlaqi farmaan' – a draconian order which is against the middle-class.

This decision is adversely affecting the daily lives and livelihoods of millions of families.

“The BJP government in Delhi, in collaboration with the auto industry, is forcing the middle class to buy new vehicles. Their target is to compel Delhi's 61 lakh families to purchase new vehicles,” Sisodia said in a post on X demanding that the order be immediately withdrawn.

(With agency inputs)

Key Takeaways

• 79% of the surveyed population opposes the fuel ban for old vehicles.
• Political pressure and public outrage are influencing government decisions on environmental policies.
• The implementation of environmental regulations must consider social and economic impacts on citizens.

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