Starting July 1, Delhi residents’ cars could be turned away at the fuel pump, not for unpaid dues, but for driving a car deemed “too old.” Under a sweeping policy announced by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), petrol vehicles older than 15 years and diesel vehicles older than 10 will be denied fuel, flagged as End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs), regardless of their actual emissions.

The aim is to clean up Delhi’s toxic air. But the result? More confusion, less choice, and questionable impact. The rule is being enforced through a citywide web of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras installed at nearly all of Delhi’s 520 fuel stations.

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These cameras scan license plates, cross-check vehicle data with the VAHAN database, and trigger alerts when an “overage” vehicle arrives. Fuel attendants have been instructed to deny service, and enforcement teams will impound non-compliant vehicles or push them toward scrap yards. This is not environmental reform, it is policy theatre. A blanket ban based on age, not emissions, unfairly targets consumers who’ve maintained their vehicles well and complied with pollution norms. A 12-year-old diesel car that passes its Pollution Under Control (PUC) test might........

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