Delhi transport seizes over 400 end-of-life vehicles in 2 days of crackdown

Delhi Transport Department has impounded over 400 end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) in a move to curb pollution ahead of winter when stubble burning in parts of Haryana, Punjab and UP chokes the capital city.

To help in their efforts in removing ELVs from Delhi’s roads, the transport department has requested additional assistance from the traffic police. An official said that the department has partnered with 12 Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facilities (RVSFs) according to MCD zones for the purpose of impounding and scrapping overage vehicles.

Due to a shortage of personnel, the department has also asked the traffic police to allocate four teams per MCD zone to work alongside the transport department’s enforcement division and facilitate the transfer of vehicles to designated RVSFs for further action.

As many as 26 teams of the transport department, each consisting of four officers, are targeting around 120,000 overage vehicles in the city.

The initiative will target ELVs and unregistered e-rickshaws, as well as those lacking valid fitness certificates. Within two days of launching the operation, the department seized around 400-500 vehicles, including cars, auto-rickshaws, and two-wheelers.

Since March last year, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has been conducting operations against ELVs, and this time, they are joined by the transport department and the traffic police.

RVSF guidelines

As the operation intensifies, the transport department has directed all Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facilities (RVSFs) to follow the ‘Guidelines for Handling End-of-Life Vehicles in Public Places of Delhi, 2024’, in accordance with a Delhi High Court ruling. Officials have cautioned that failure to comply may lead to an RVSF being excluded from the initiative.

During a previous enforcement effort, the department had blacklisted two RVSFs for scrapping a Delhi Police vehicle that was a key witness in a terrorism case without proper authorisation from the security agency.

A timeline for vehicle scrapping has also been established. Unregistered e-rickshaws will be impounded and crushed at the nearest impounding facility before being sent to the corresponding RVSF scrapyard. Additionally, RVSFs are required to wait 90 days to impound registered e-rickshaws after their fitness certificates expire, as outlined in the Delhi Maintenance and Management of Parking Places Rules, 2019.

Authorities emphasised the prohibition of e-rickshaws on 236 roads in the capital. For other vehicles, RVSFs must wait four weeks for a release order, after which they are authorised to scrap the vehicle if it is not retrieved. Additionally, RVSFs must submit a Certificate of Deposit (COD), Certificate of Vehicle Scrapping, and proof of payment to the owners for vehicles entrusted to them every two weeks, according to department requirements.

An official said that if a vehicle owner fails to contact the RVSF for payment within the specified timeframe as per the latest ELV guidelines, the scrap value must be deposited into the treasury of the transport department.

The enforcement unit has also been tasked with maintaining a detailed inventory register of all seized vehicles, including the team responsible, the RVSF that received the vehicle, and documentation of the COD, payment, and vehicle scrapping certificates. Furthermore, the department has encouraged additional RVSFs to take part in the operation.

(With agency inputs)