A diesel ban with green goals but grey areas in fairness and implementation

Byline: Vishal Katoch

Owning a car remains a milestone for many Indian families, not just a financial investment, but a vessel of memories, aspirations, and long-held dreams. Yet, for thousands of such households, those dreams risk being dismantled overnight. In the race to combat air pollution, the Delhi NCR region keeps adopting increasingly stringent vehicle scrappage policies. Chief among them is the blanket ban on diesel vehicles older than ten years a measure that has triggered both compliance and confusion among vehicle owners, legal experts, and environmental observers alike.

A Policy Marked By Ambiguity
The origins of the current rule date back to 2015, when the National Green Tribunal (NGT) established under the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010 to address environmental matters ordered the de-registration and ban of all diesel vehicles over ten years old in Delhi and the wider National Capital Region (NCR). Issued on 7 April 2015, the directive signalled a firm stance on curbing vehicular emissions in one of the world’s most polluted urban areas.

In 2018, the Supreme Court upheld the NGT’s directive and urged the government to introduce a comprehensive vehicle scrappage policy. However, neither the NGT nor the Court specified whether the ban would apply retrospectively to vehicles bought before the 2015 order a gap that has since given rise to questions around implementation and fairness.

Questioning Age As The Sole Measure
As per the Economic Survey of Delhi 2022–23, the total number of registered vehicles in the National Capital Territory for the year 2021–22 was 7.918 million reflecting a significant decline of 35.38 per cent compared to previous years. This sharp drop has been largely linked to the implementation of scrappage policies.

Critics of the blanket ban argue that age alone is an insufficient indicator of a vehicle’s environmental impact. Two cars of the same vintage may perform very differently based on how they have been maintained. Modern diesel engines, particularly in premium or well serviced vehicles, often continue to meet emission norms well beyond ten years.

Economic And Environmental Trade-offs
Manufacturers, insurers, and scrap dealers may benefit from such policies, but the everyday consumer is often left without recourse particularly when regulations lack clarity or a proper mechanism for appeal. From an economic perspective, the forced scrappage of fully functional vehicles results in direct financial loss for owners and adds to the overall burden on consumers. Moreover, some environmental experts argue that the carbon footprint of producing a new vehicle may, in certain cases, exceed the emissions produced by continued use of a well maintained older one raising important questions about the true sustainability of blanket scrappage policies.

The Road Ahead — Diesel, Petrol Or Just A Dead End?
As policymakers push forward with increasingly rigid scrappage norms, the question remains: is the road ahead truly greener, or are we simply shifting gears without a map? Whether it runs on diesel, petrol, or well meaning policy, the journey toward sustainable mobility must account not just for where we are going, but how fairly we get there. Are we focusing on the most meaningful measures, or simply the most manageable ones? The concern lies not with the environmental intent, but with the retrospective nature, lack of clarity, and absence of transitional safeguards.