Policy Pause Sparks Debate on Delhi's End of Life Vehicles

Saurabh Bhardwaj of AAP accuses the government of harming Delhi and neighboring states by pausing the End of Life vehicles policy until November 1. He predicts millions of vehicles will be affected. The government cites infrastructural challenges, deferring enforcement after discussions with CAQM.

The Centre of Air Quality Management's decision to delay the End of Life vehicles policy in the national capital region until November 1 has ignited a political debate. Aam Aadmi Party's Delhi president, Saurabh Bhardwaj, accuses the government of negatively impacting Delhi and its surrounding states.

Bhardwaj, in a statement to ANI, contends that the policy hold-up will have a detrimental effect on millions of vehicles, predicting that around two crore vehicles could be rendered obsolete compared to the initial estimate of 62 lakh. He highlighted the Delhi government's efforts to extend the policy across Ghaziabad, Gurugram, Noida, Faridabad, and more.

The Delhi government's concerns about implementation challenges are echoed in their July 3 letter to the Commission for Air Quality Management. They cited issues such as the incomplete integration of the Automated Number Plate Recognition system with neighboring NCR states' databases, as well as technological and infrastructural barriers.

(With inputs from agencies.)