On the first day of its fuel ban on End-of-Life (EoL) vehicles in the national Capital, authorities identified 98 such vehicles through surveillance systems, issued notices to 80 of them and impounded 24, officials said on Tuesday. The ban, mandated by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), prohibits petrol pumps across Delhi from refuelling overage vehicles — specifically, diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years. To ensure strict compliance, the Transport Department, Delhi Police, Traffic Police and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) deployed a joint enforcement strategy. Out of the 98 EoL vehicles flagged by surveillance cameras, 45 notices were issued by the Transport Department, 34 by Delhi Police and one by MCD. Petrol pumps across the city were largely prepared, with many reporting minimal or no issues on the first day. Several pumps in Rohini, including Sai Ram Filling Station, IOCL Karun Filling Station and the IOCL outlet in Sector 24, confirmed that no overage vehicles approached for refuelling. In Lutyens Delhi, a police officer posted at a Bhai Veer Singh Marg petrol station reported that two vehicles were impounded without any major resistance. At the IOCL station in Moti Bagh, banners informing customers of the ban were displayed, and staff had been trained to deny fuel to EoL vehicles, with police officers present to manage any disputes. Similarly, the staff at the HP pump in Dhaula Kuan said they were following the directive and denying fuel to overage vehicles, although no police presence was noted there. By 1 pm, a total of 24 vehicles had been impounded. Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Ajay Chaudhary said that the drive aims to reduce pollution and improve Delhis environment. He added that beginning November 1, the ban would also be extended to areas around the city. Owners of impounded vehicles have 15 days to retrieve them from scrappers after paying a fine and obtaining a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Transport Department. They must then re-register the vehicle in another state where it remains legally allowed. To aid detection, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras have been installed at fuel stations. However, there were some glitches. At a Pusa Road petrol pump, a Hyundai i10 was mistakenly flagged as overage, triggering an alert. Upon checking, its registration was found valid until 2028, and it was allowed to refuel. At the BPCL Vaibhav Filling Station in Vikas Puri, one overage vehicle that arrived early in the morning was denied petrol. The driver, however, proceeded to fill CNG, which remains exempt from the ban. Officials emphasised the importance of public cooperation in making Delhis air cleaner, urging citizens not to use overage vehicles and to support the citys anti-pollution efforts.

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