Polluters Must Pay : But When ? How ?
Context :
The Delhi government has decided to retreat from its contentious 'End-of-Life' vehi
ago , NDTV reported
In a letter to the Commission for Air Quality Management, Delhi Environment Manjinder Singh Sirsa said "it will not be feasible to implement" the order to deny fuel to older vehicles.
The minister said that a system is being developed to inform vehicle owners about EOL vehicles in advance. However, implementing the Automatic Number Plate Recognition, or ANPR system is not currently feasible, as it has not been implemented in neighbouring cities either.
Sirsa also told reporters that the government will come up with a system to seize pollution-causing old vehicles, and not those vehicles which will be adequately maintained.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has requested the CAQM to consider implementing the ANPR system in Delhi only when it is launched in neighboring cities on Nov. 1.
The decision comes amid mounting criticism from several quarters, as several car owners panicked about the fate of their older vehicles. The policy was also labelled as impractical as such mandates do not exist in the neighbouring cities and towns of the National Capital Region or NCR.
The CAQM order for denial of fuel to older vehicles was to come into effect in Delhi from July 1. Over 60 lakh older vehicles, including trucks, cars and motorcycles, were to be affected by its implementation.
The stringent measure was pushed by the pollution-controlling panel as Delhi has been suffering under poor air quality for the past several years. The move to phase out older vehicles was seen as crucial to reduce carbon emissions in the city.
My Take :
In my 9 year old E Mail ( Young or Old ? …27 Aug 2016 ) , I had raised this issue and wrote :
“ I have no doubt that , if mandated , our Vehicle Manufacturers are capable of
a TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION consisting of a device that will :
# come pre-installed in all NEW vehicles , produced after 01 April 2017
# be easy to install ( retrofit ) on all existing vehicles as well ( mandatory from June 2017 )
# measure the actual emission of the vehicle ( PPM / Co2 / NOX etc ) , when running
# transmit this data to the Servers of Central and State Transport Ministries / all RTOs ( with Vehicle Number )
# flash a RED light on both the front and the rear fenders , if pollution levels are exceeded ( that will help
nearest traffic police to pull aside the polluting vehicle and immobilize it till corrected )
# If there are more than 6 DEFAULT INCIDENCES involving a given vehicle , within ONE MONTH , then RTO
Server will automatically CANCEL the REGISTRATION of that vehicle ( no matter , how OLD / YOUNG ! )
This data will be accessible to Traffic Police , all over the country , through a Mobile App ( SCRAPP ? )
# Owners of such SCRAPP-ed vehicles will need to dispose off their vehicles at Govt Approved Scrap Dealers
# Scrap Dealer will confirm the " Purchase " through Mobile App , giving vehicle number / purchase price
# Central Transport Department will transfer the INCENTIVE AMOUNT ( DBT ) into the Jan Dhan A/c of owner
When we are targeting replacement of 28 million vehicles ( even over a 10 year period ) , it is best to eliminate human intervention from the entire process , to the extent possible
Involve humans and this scheme is bound to suffer !
Dear Shri Nitin Gadkariji – Smt Rekha Guptaji – Shri Sirsaji :
As you can see from my above-mentioned 9 year old suggestion , determining
which cars are “ Old or New “ / “ Polluting or Non-polluting “ , is not a rocket
science. But for the missing “ Political Will “ , this determination would have been
a reality by now.
By postponing the “ facing of the issue “ 9 years ago , things have got worse !
Whereas Delhi may need to scrap some 60 lakh “ Old “ vehicles , country , as a
whole , needs to scrap some 250 lakh vehicles – and right NOW !
As against this, as per MoRTH ,we have managed to scrap only 2.5 lakh “ OLD “
cars since 2022 !
Another estimate says we managed to scrap 3.4 Lakh vehicles in past year ( see
table below ) !
This is despite a network of 171 approved Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facilities (
RVSFs ) across 20 States – of which 101 are already operational. Another 50 are
under construction
Even if ( through some miracle ? ), if we start scrapping 5 Lakh vehicles per year,
starting 2025-26 , it would take us 50 YEARS , to clear this backlog ( not
counting the new additions of “ Aging “ vehicles – which could add another 5
LAKH vehicles EACH YEAR ! )
Dear Shri Gadkariji ,
I just came across following news report :
Ø Nitin Gadkari unveils vision for green mobility, including 135-seater electric buses ..ET .. 06 July 25
- Where you say :
“We are driving innovation. A revolution in mass mobility is underway,”
Talking of INNOVATION , it is high time your Road-Map includes my following
suggestions :
Ø Car Grave-Yard of World ? .. ……………………………………… ….14 Feb 2018
Ø Transport : an Integrated Logistic Plan ? …………………….. 20 Nov
Ø Project ROTE = Reduction of Transport Emission …………… 26 June 2025
With regards,
Hemen Parekh
www.IndiaAGI.ai / www.
www.HemenParekh.ai / 07 July 2025
Related Readings :
How many vehicles did we succeed in scraping during 24 – 25 ?
Following some approx.. data provided by GEMINI :
Tabulation (Partial - based on available specific data):
S.No. | RVSF Operator/Name (Example Locations) | Installed Scrapping Capacity (No. of Vehicles/Year) | Actual Scrapped Vehicles (April 2024 - March 2025) |
1. | Tata Motors (Total Network) | >175,000 | Data not publicly disaggregated by facility/period |
2. | Mahindra Accelo (CERO - Total Network) | 300,000 (Targeting 1 million by 2026) | Data not publicly disaggregated by facility/period |
3. | Maruti Suzuki Toyotsu India (Noida) | 24,000 | Data not publicly disaggregated by facility/period |
4. | Tata Motors - Raipur | 25,000 | Data not publicly available |
5. | Tata Motors - Lucknow | 15,000 | Data not publicly available |
6. | Tata Motors - Pune | 21,000 | Data not publicly available |
7. | Tata Motors - Near Delhi | 18,000 | Data not publicly available |
TOTAL | (Approximate for major players) | ~578,000+ | >340,000 (Cumulative till Mar 2025 across all RVSFs) |
Relevant Data :
( A ) Our Vehicle Population :
# Total Registered Vehicles in India (Approx.) .. …….. ~ 350 million ( 35+ crore )
# Two-Wheelers (Bikes, Scooters, Mopeds) …………………~ 260 million ( 26+ crore )
# Three-Wheelers (Auto , E-Rickshaws, Goods )…………… ~8-10 million ( 0.8-1 crore )
# Passenger Vehicles (Cars, SUVs, Vans) …………………….~ 35-40 million ( 3.5-4 crore )
# Commercial Vehicles (Trucks, Buses, Pickups) ……………~ 12-15 million ( 1.2-1.5 crore )
( B ) No of Vehicles added during 2024 – 25 :
# Two-Wheelers (Bikes, Scooters, Mopeds) ………. 15 - 18 million
# Three-Wheelers (Autos, E-Rickshaws, Cargo) ……. 0.8 - 1 million
# Passenger Vehicles (Cars, SUVs, Vans) …………. 3.5 - 4 million
# Commercial Vehicles (Trucks, Buses, Pickups) … 0.8 - 1 million
( C ) No of “ OLD “ Cars + Trucks which need to be scrapped as per Policy :
1. Total Registered Vehicles (Cars + Trucks + Buses)
# Cars: ~35-
# Trucks + Buses: ~12-15 million ( 1.2 - 1.5 crore )
# Total ( Cars + CVs ) : ~ 47 - 55 million ( 4.7 – 5.5 crore )
2. Old Vehicles Eligible for Scrapping
As per govt. estimates (MoRTH & SIAM):
· Petrol Vehicles (15+ years old): ~25-30% of total petrol vehicles ( ~ 9 - 12 million cars ).
· Diesel Vehicles (10+ years old): ~40-50% of total diesel vehicles (~ 5 - 7 million cars + ~6-8 million trucks/buses).
Approx. Total Old Vehicles (Scrappage Eligible): ~20-25 million ( 2 - 2.5 crore ) vehicles (cars + trucks + buses).
Ø From Policy to Practice : a Hurdle Race ……………………..02 Dec 2024
Ø India to become Vehicle Scrapping Hub ? .. ……………….02 Mar 2023
Ø 2016
Ø PIYUSH PLAN ?
Ø Young or Old ?.........................
Ø From OLD to NEW ? No , go NEWER !.................. [ 22 Sept 2016 ]
2018
Ø Car Grave-Yard of World ? …………………………………………[ 14 Feb 2018 ]
Ø One door closes ; Another opens …………………………….. [ 27 Feb 2018 ]
Ø Mahindra Accelo : Saluting a pioneer………………………….[ 19 June 2018 ]
Ø Scrapping Old Vehicles : Swiss Challenge Solution …..[ 24 July 2018 ]
Rename it , “ Vehicle Recycle Policy “ ………………………..[ 08 Aug 2018 ]
Ø Better Late than Never !.......................
Ø Missing piece of Jigsaw Puzzle ? ………………………………….[ 15 Nov 2018 ]
2019
Ø FAME II > FAME III > FAME IV……………………………………. [ 05 Mar 2019 ]
2020
Ø I conceive , I conceive , I conceive !....................
Ø Dead on Arrival ? …………………………………………………………..[ 19 July 2020 ]
Ø Alang : Junkyard ? Scrapyard ? SaveYard ?................ [ 12 Dec 2020 ]
Ø 2021
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