[RaghavEvoX]

This is a welcome move but how much it is going to decrease the pollution levels is a question mark . I visit Delhi at least 2-3 times in a year and the moment I land, I start coughing & feel irritation in my eyes.
The pollution blanket is even visible clearly from air few minutes before landing. So something drastic has to be done at least for the sake of children of Delhi.

But what really will happen is, all old cars from NCR region will end up in neighboring states like UP/Haryana, etc. which will add to their mess.
It is just like 'throwing my house's garbage in my neighbors house'.
It would be logical if well maintained cars get a fitness certificate and if it doesn't qualify, then send it to scrapyard.

By the way, in the top 15 polluted cities in India, almost everything is in Delhi/NCR/UP region. So it doesn't make any sense if the vehicle in Delhi gets sold to a city in UP.



Source - iqair

[armaan_singh]

Wasn't this already banned ? What's new in this? If the quantum of the fine is the new update and that's what folks are pissed off about, then that's another thing, but barring that this 10 year rule has been on for a while as far as I can remember.

[Sanidhya mukund]

Originally Posted by vredesbyrd

Edit: Why is there absolutely no uproar from anybody at all? Next they will ban owning cars like North Korea? Can they not see that the ban did nothing to the air quality index? Do they not see the common man burden by paying excessive taxes through their noses and getting absolutely nothing out of it? How can people stand such policies? How are people making these policies not questioned or opposed at all? Is the opposition sitting on a tree and eating nuts?! I give up.

Originally Posted by Sanidhya mukund

According to their estimates, a total of 35 lakh petrol cars and 3 lakh diesel cars should have gone off Delhi roads, but the actual number of cars that have been scrapped since the 2018 order is a laughable figure of 2879!

To put things into perspective, only 0.075% of the cars that had to be scrapped according to the order have been scrapped!
This clearly goes to show that very few people have been scrapping their cars. The question that arises then, is that where did all the cars go?

Probably abandoned, sold to rural hinterlands without papers, sent to the owners native place or even preserved as driveway ornaments (like my Ikon) are a few possible scenarios.

Source: https://www.google.co.in/amp/s/m.tim...w/83560937.cms

As I had pointed out earlier also, this sudden reiteration of the rule is because nobody has been scrapping their beloved car. If this data by Times of India is to be believed, then only 0.075% of the banned cars have been scrapped. In India, nobody throws away something that is still useful. So as you can see, there may not be any public uproars, but there seem to be many silent protesters.

Originally Posted by sidharthg

IMHO, End of the day, if an old car is serving the purpose for them without having to spend lakh's of Rs. on a new car then I don't think they should be forced. For example, I myself own Merc E-350 Petrol and it is 10 yrs old, although I still have 5 more years but still I wouldn't want to be forced to scrap it and buy a new car. May be at that point in time I'm unable to afford it or it is well maintained.

Absolutely agreed! Even in the developed world, nobody is forced to throw a car away. In the UK, after the car hits a certain age, the law requires the owner to get a periodic MOT test done. If the car passes, nobody stops it from plying. As far as the environmental angle is concerned, I am sure it is a lot less polluting to keep using an old car as compared to the manufacturing of a new car, if one looks at the larger scheme of things. I myself have 3 cars that are victims of this rule- 2000 Ford Ikon, 1995 Maruti Esteem and 1993 Tata Estate.

Originally Posted by sidharthg

Yes I understand that it is all for environment and pollution but frankly putting someone under a financial burden is uncalled for. It is so very easy for the bureaucrats to sit in the offices and take these decisions, it is the common man who suffers the most.

Originally Posted by tiagoatrix

Elected PM/MP/MLA's bureaucrats touring in aircrafts, helicopter and their convoy consisting of dozens of cars contribute to more carbon foot than probably all the 15 yo private cars combined.

Let us give our bureaucracy and politicians a break. This ruling is due to an order by a judicial body. The government is merely implementing it.

[batish]

Originally Posted by Sanidhya mukund

Let us give our bureaucracy and politicians a break. This ruling is due to an order by a judicial body. The government is merely implementing it.

Ummmm, no break. Government could have appealed back then and made a strong case after collecting data on pollution. Could have asked for collection of green cess for older vehicles than just complete eradication.
Even by legislation government had a choice to over rule this ruling.

If they were so damn serious about pollution they could have heavily incentivized electric vehicles just than going for BS6.

There's nothing substantial for people who has to scrap their vehicles. Heck, not even the refund of road tax which was paid for 15 years.

Only loser in this transaction is the customer who has to part away with his beloved possession. Dammit YEH GORMINT.

[Arreyosambha]

I'm fairly certain the environmental impact of buying new cars every 10 years rather than running the old 10/15 year old cars is for the worse - imagine the amount of plastic a new car comes with, and multiply that with the sheer number of cars being bought in Delhi on a daily basis!

What's sad is that I never see the worst offenders get apprehended - there are so many ancient, rickety delivery autos used by gas agencies to transport cylinders, wheezing up flyovers while emitting thick grey clouds of smoke, and not once have I seen them being challaned by the cops.

[ruzbehxyz]

Just by copying some foreign nations, we are making a fool out of our selves.

Study shows that vehicle pollution is the cause of 28 per cent of PM2.5 emissions. Vehicular pollution can be broken up into: trucks and tractors generate 9 per cent, 7 per cent from two-wheelers, 5 per cent from three-wheelers, 3 per cent each from cars and buses, and 1 per cent from light commercial vehicles.

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/india/stor...557-2018-11-01

So is it justified to target vehicles for scrapping. According to me this is just a money game. The more vehicles the consumers buy, the more amount of money the government earns by way of taxes and RTO charges.

[WorkingGuru]

These things likely makes sense to elite bureaucrats who probably change cars every 3 years. Its foolish decisions by ignorant people who remain indifferent to others, that brings down civil society. Else, its common sense that making a new car altogether is FAR more polluting than keeping old cars in good repair.

The ones not sold in neighbouring states are likely cannibalised & sold as parts for younger cars, with a full blown economy around it supported by FNGs.

If 1.5 years of economic stagnation didn't bring down pollution, then IMO it is quite likely a scam to claim it as a major cause of global pollution. People being forced to subsist through their lives in crippling inconvenience & utter poverty is not acceptable. The solution cannot be costlier/more punishing than the problem.

[no_fear]

I have nothing good to say about the Delhi government and this policy is a whitewashing exercise against the actual pollution issues Delhi has.

Yes, Delhi has vehicular pollution, but its a tiny component. The major sources of pollution are the tens of thousands of small factories, brick kilns, and farm lands burning waste in neighboring Haryana, Punjab and UP.

Instead of coming up with a viable plan to control pollution of these small scale industries, which will never happen, as these folks form the vote banks for the respective governments, all the Delhi government can do is pass such stupid laws.

My car is 5 years old. I maintain it well and will drive it for another 15 years. Will happily pay 10k fine than toss a well running vehicle for scrap and contribute to unnecessary waste and industrial pollution.

Sarkari babus didnt care one bit when people died on the roads, on the pavements from Covid and lack of oxygen cylinders. But now all of them want to care for the environment and be the next Greta Thunburg.

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by no_fear

I have nothing good to say about the Delhi government and this policy is a whitewashing exercise against the actual pollution issues Delhi has.

It is not the Delhi government who came up with this policy. It was the NGT. The judges made the policy and decided the cut off. How much they relied on their wisdom, on actual science, data and unbiased case studies, well, your guess is as good as mine. But yes, once again, it is the tax paying middle class being squeezed in the name of pollution while the actual root causes remain unaddressed.

[no_fear]

@Shreyas,

I understand it's the NGT, but ultimately the law is enforced by the government. Instead of appealing, the government wants to enforce it without care.

You are correct - how was this policy decided, where was the science behind it. We do not know.

[k0p]

Small question for drivers in Delhi. Does the 10-year rule for a diesel car result in a reduction of Life Tax to be paid when compared to a petrol car?

If not, have there been any cases filed regarding this?

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by Sanidhya mukund

According to their estimates, a total of 35 lakh petrol cars and 3 lakh diesel cars should have gone off Delhi roads, but the actual number of cars that have been scrapped since the 2018 order is a laughable figure of 2879!

What no one seems to take into account is the number of DL registered cars that ply in the hinterlands of the northern and eastern states, without transferring registration out of Delhi. These cars have been sold by the original owners to dealers, and then sold onwards by them to people in smaller towns and villages, where no one really checks whether the registration actually belongs to the person owning it (never mind other niceties like insurance and PUC). If the RTOs in Delhi now begin to contact such owners asking for 10,000-rupee penalties, I guess they'll come up to a dead end and the drive will fizzle out in a few months.

Remember, plastic bags are banned in Delhi - but do go shopping and see what you get nowadays.

[Altocumulus]

Originally Posted by RaghavEvoX

By the way, in the top 15 polluted cities in India, almost everything is in Delhi/NCR/UP region. So it doesn't make any sense if the vehicle in Delhi gets sold to a city in UP.

Attachment 2167960

Source - iqair

So how come a city like Bangalore which supposedly has way more traffic than 90% of the cities mentioned in this list are not part of this. Bangalore has more 10+ old diesel and 15+ petrol cars plying on the road but still the most liveable city as published.

Can it be that cars are actually not a significant reason for the pollution in NCR.

[avira_tk]

Proof of the wisdom of ordinary people, 10 year old diesel cars work just fine. I've done 5 round trips to Kerala around the 10 year mark, that's roughly 6k of running. The NGT and other make work committees have no clue how hard it is to buy a car for the average person. 10 year ownership for a product that takes a lifetime of savings? The average car is 14 years old in the USA, they've got 1 vehicle in 90%of all households, we have 30 cars per thousand.

The megalomania on display is unbelievable, imagine thinking you're going to save the planet by reducing vehicle emissions that account for the bare minimum of pollution. Environment activism should be taxed as speculation, we will see reduction in made up statistics and end of the earth predictions quickly.

[Lobogris]

Now, the Delhi government has announced they will ask the Supreme Court to review its order. I wonder why their own Transport Department issues the strict order on one hand while they claim to want to appeal against this rule?


Delhi govt set to ask SC to review ban on old petrol, diesel vehicles in city - https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...m_source=email