No Fuel for Old Vehicle : From July 1, 2025, 10-year-old diesel and 15-year-old petrol vehicles will not get petrol-diesel in the country’s capital Delhi. This decision has been taken by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM). So that, the increasing air pollution can be controlled. But now the Delhi Petrol Dealers Association (DPDA) has expressed concern about this new policy. The association has urged the government to remove the punitive provisions imposed on the dealers under this rule.
What is the policy and to whom will it apply?
CAQM has clearly said that diesel vehicles whose age is more than 10 years and petrol vehicles whose age is more than 15 years will not get diesel and petrol at any fuel station in Delhi. This rule will not only apply to old vehicles registered in Delhi but also to those registered in any state.
What is the objection of the dealers?
DPDA has written a letter to Delhi’s Transport Minister Pankaj Singh and Transport Commissioner and lodged its objections. The association says that under this government policy, if any petrol pump employee mistakenly gives fuel to an old vehicle, then legal action will be taken against him. Apart from this, there is also a provision for arrest, this rule is not practical. It was stated in the letter that under the Essential Commodities Act, no petrol pump can refuse to give fuel to a customer, whereas this new policy is contrary to that. This creates a situation of legal conflict.
DPDA also said that the government is making dealers or pump attendants behave as if they are enforcement officers. Whereas their job is to provide fuel, not to check the age of the vehicle or enforce the law. In such a situation, giving them additional responsibility can increase both risk and stress.
DPDA cited the recent incident in Ghaziabad as an example, where a pump employee was shot while enforcing the ‘no helmet, no fuel’ rule. This incident raises the fear that even a strict rule like ‘no fuel for old vehicles’ can put the safety of pump staff at risk.
Demand for police protection and SOP
The association has demanded from the government that until this policy is fully implemented, adequate police force should be deployed at all fuel stations to avoid any incident. Also, DPDA also says that no clear SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) has been shared by CAQM so far, due to which the pump employees are not able to know how to implement this policy in practice.