4 min readNew DelhiFeb 15, 2026 01:28 AM IST
Any end-of-life vehicle (ELV) found plying on road or parked in public places in the Capital will now be seized and scrapped, the Transport department warned on Saturday. The Transport department, officials said, is set to intensify its enforcement drive against overage petrol and diesel vehicles amid the Delhi government’s ongoing fight against air pollution.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW VIDEO
So far, the department was taking action against ELVs found plying on the road by impounding the vehicle and issuing challans. In its public notice issued on Saturday, the department has announced that it will also take action against the vehicles parked in public places. “End-of-Life vehicles of BS-III and below emission norms found plying or parked in public places within Delhi shall be impounded and scrapped without further notice, in accordance with the law…,” the notice read, and underlined, “Diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years are classified as end-of-life vehicles.” The Delhi government banned these vehicles, it highlighted, following directions from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Supreme Court.
Owners have been advised to obtain a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) to move their old vehicles out of the national capital
According to a senior official of the Transport department “the drive has been going on for the past few months… but the enforcement was not very active.” “Under it, overage vehicles found plying on roads were impounded and challans were issued. However, with the recent orders of the apex court, the Transport department has decided to launch an aggressive enforcement drive against overage vehicles, including those parked in public places. We have also issued a notice in advance so that owners do not complain,” the official said.
According to the government data, a total of 7,789 vehicles have been impounded since October 1, 2025, by enforcement agencies under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) III and IV guidelines, which enforce the strictest anti–pollution measures, of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), the Centre’s watchdog.
Officials also said that vehicle owners no longer need to travel to Ghaziabad or Noida to get their vehicles scrapped as Delhi now has an authorised scrapping unit. “All vehicles seized during the drive will be sent to the authorised scrapyard, the Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facility (RVSF) operated by EZWaste Recycling Private Limited, located in Mohan Cooperative Industrial Estate on Mathura Road in Southeast Delhi,” an official said.
Earlier, officials underlined, owners of ELVs had to seek an NOC within a year and transfer the vehicles out of the Capital. However, the BJP government relaxed the timeframe and allowed owners to park their vehicles in covered spaces and obtain an NOC to move the vehicles out of the city. Failing to do so invited action.
Story continues below this ad
Following the NGT and Supreme Court orders, the Delhi government’s Transport department in December 2021 announced that all diesel and petrol vehicles that had completed 10 and 15 years would be de-registered. The key aim behind the move was to curb pollution caused by vehicular emissions in the Capital. The department began the de-registration process in January 2022 and initially de-registered 10,12,247 diesel vehicles. Subsequently, both petrol and diesel vehicles were de-registered in the months that followed. The Transport department deregistered over 55 lakh ELVs over the years.
The first intensive drive against ELVs was launched in 2023 but was halted after several owners moved the top court. The court then asked the Transport department to come up with a policy. As per official data, 39,273 vehicles were impounded and scrapped in the last drive in 2024, as compared to 22,397 vehicles in 2023.
Officials said the latest decision to intensify the enforcement drive came after the Supreme Court last December modified its previous order that had barred coercive action against ELVs and clarified that action could be taken against vehicles below BS-IV norms.
