How I got my seized 10-yr-old diesel car in Delhi back: Lessons learned

I paid a fine of Rs 10,000. I also paid the scrapping agency where my Renault Duster was taken to, Rs 2,500 for towing and a parking charge of Rs 6,400.

BHPian rdhawan15 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Gods, finally, smiled.

I got my seized Renault Duster diesel (Sandy) released from the Nirvana Scrappers scrapyard in Baghpat.

How did I get it back?

• On Friday, I met Senior officers of the MCD and the Delhi Transport Department. The MCD Administrative Officer in the SDMC office was very helpful. He gave me a patient hearing to understand the issue in full detail. My affidavit was accepted. I paid the fine of Rs. 10,000. And, the 'Release order' was generated within 15 minutes.
• The Delhi Transport Department officer assured me that I could apply for the NOC later. There is no bar on it. He was very cooperative and explained the entire rationale of having the NOC in the case of transfers outside Delhi.
• The Nirvana Scrappers team charged their fee. I paid them Rs. 2500 for towing (mandated by the Hon'ble Delhi High Court) and a parking charge of Rs. 6400/-. I was instructed to visit the scrapyard on Saturday to get the car.
• On Saturday, I visited the scrapyard with my brother. The Nirvana Scrappers team helped me retrieve the car. The entire process took around 30 minutes. The car was kept well. There were no visible dent marks. The battery, chassis, and tyres were intact and in proper condition. I would like to thank the Nirvana team for taking good care of the vehicle.

Lessons learned:

• Get your petrol or diesel vehicle out of your Delhi residence before the registration expires. There is no chance you can keep your vehicle unless you have a private parking space. I suggest completing the transfers at least 6 months ahead of the registration expiration.
• Apply for the NOC well ahead of time. The NOC application is the Form 28 application. You need to fill it out online. For the NOC application to be accepted, you need to provide the registration certificate of your vehicle and the Aadhar card details of the transferee located outside Delhi.
• Once you get the NOC, you have 30 days to transfer the vehicle to the transferee outside Delhi.

Mandatory thanks

I am full of gratitude for the Gods who ensured I got my vehicle back (emotional connect).

And, I would like to thank all of you for sharing your valuable insights and offering support, when I needed it the most. I am extremely grateful for the legal assistance offered by many established advocates based in Delhi.

A special word of 'Thanks' to GTO. The coffee is on me.

And, finally, India is a wonderful country and Indians are very helpful. This comes from me after having seen the entire exercise from start to finish in the past 14 days. I have received assistance when I least expected it. And, from people whom I did not know.

Suggestions for the scrapping policy

I am too small a person to offer any suggestions or advice to the Delhi Government or the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. Both have very capable officers and policymakers.

Having met so many affected people on the ground, it is my humble request that the Delhi Government considers the following:

• Rather than seizing the vehicles and sending them over to Baghpat, it may be a good idea to issue a seizure notice to the vehicle owner. Just paste the notice on the vehicle windscreen or rear screen. Give the vehicle owner 4-6 weeks to remove the vehicle or face scrapping. This will also save time and energy spent in towing and transporting the vehicles to the scrapyard. The case in point is of a very humble person whose motorcycle of 15 years 1 day was picked up and sent for scrapping. The guy had tears in his eyes and regretted that he could not send the motorcycle in time to his little brother in Bihar. We need to have empathy for everyone.
• Please help set up an online platform to facilitate the handling of affidavits. The MCD department is so swamped with work that it becomes tedious for the affidavits to be accepted, scrutinized, and processed by the MCD team. My thoughts are with the MCD team for the extreme pressure they find themselves under. Trust me, people on the ground are not against the NGT order. All want Delhi air to be cleaner.
• The parking fee for the vehicles does seem a bit steep to me. Maybe, the Government of Delhi could consider the request of the common people of Delhi and reduce it to make it more affordable. This will also ensure a good gesture for the people of Delhi.
• Please provide more clarity on the various discounts on new vehicle purchases if the vehicle is scrapped on behalf of the Delhi Transport Department.

On a final note, I have no hard feelings for anyone. I am glad it turned out well.

I seek your suggestions in waiting for either:

• Converting the Duster into electric mode (I know it is difficult) or
• Send it over to my wife's cousin in Ludhiana

Once again, thank you to the seen and unseen forces that made this project possible.

Here's what BHPian tbppjpr had to say about the matter:

Glad that you got your car back.

Although electric conversion is a good idea, I am more interested in knowing if converting into petrol allows the vehicle to get registered for the next 5 more years. There is also a possibility of converting a petrol vehicle into CNG which is another advantage if that extends the registration period further.

Here's what BHPian autobahnjpr had to say about the matter:

Congratulations! Now I suggest choosing option 2 and taking the Duster out of NCR and being done and dusted with it. As a substitute, you can either go for a new car or a good second-hand one. There may be right or wrong about any policy but we should be able to accept it and then act accordingly. Like many, I too wish the 10-year-old diesel vehicle policy would be relooked at and withdrawn.

Here's what BHPian LiveLife had to say about the matter:

Congrats Bro!

Suggest you go with option 2.

Incidentally, I also sent my car to Ludhiana.

If you do decide to go with Option 2, some considerations:

• Do hire the services of an agent
• The Ludhiana RTO is now split into two zones, thus the numbers may vary i.e., PB10 and a new zone with PB30/31 (I think)
• The original RTO (PB10) seems to be choked and is taking very long to complete the process and issue new numbers
• The NoC is valid for six months from the date of issue

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.