Delhi’s Transport Department is preparing to launch an enforcement campaign against end-of-life petrol and diesel vehicles, warning owners to scrap them or obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) for registration in another state to avoid seizure.
Transport Minister Pankaj Singh has appealed to owners to remove vehicles that have completed their permitted age and shift to electric vehicles. According to the report, the minister said the government is offering subsidies and incentives to people who scrap old vehicles and purchase new electric vehicles.
The proposed campaign comes as Delhi continues to deal with a large number of vehicles that have been deregistered under restrictions on end-of-life vehicles. Between 1 April 2018 and 19 March, 66.20 lakh vehicles were deregistered in Delhi, while around two lakh vehicles had been scrapped and NOCs had been issued for 8.50 lakh vehicles, the report said.
The Transport Department does not have data showing how many deregistered or end-of-life vehicles are still being used in Delhi. The absence of that information leaves a gap between the number of vehicles removed from official registration records and the number that may still be present in homes or on city roads.
The report said the department has not been removing end-of-life vehicles parked outside homes since July 2025. It also said that enforcement against such vehicles on Delhi’s roads has not been visible in recent months. The proposed campaign is therefore expected to renew attention on how the city identifies, removes and processes vehicles that are no longer permitted to operate.
The government is linking the enforcement drive to Delhi’s electric mobility transition. Under the Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy 2026, owners who deposit end-of-life vehicles at authorised scrapping centres and purchase new electric vehicles are eligible for additional incentives, according to the report. The policy is intended to encourage vehicle owners to replace older vehicles with electric alternatives while addressing pollution concerns.
The enforcement position has also been shaped by proceedings in the Supreme Court. In July 2025, the Delhi government filed a petition seeking a review of restrictions imposed on older vehicles based on age. The government argued that a vehicle’s pollution should be assessed through actual emissions and technical standards rather than age alone.
During a hearing on 12 August 2025, the Supreme Court granted interim relief and directed that punitive action based solely on vehicle age should not be taken until further orders. On 17 December 2025, the court clarified that the relief applied to BS-IV and newer vehicles, while action could be taken against BS-III and older vehicles.
The Transport Department’s planned campaign will therefore operate alongside the court’s distinction between vehicle age and emission norms. For vehicle owners, the immediate choices outlined by the department are scrapping an end-of-life vehicle, obtaining an NOC for registration in another state where applicable, or replacing it with an electric vehicle under the ndoflife-vehicles-scrap-or-get-noc-to-avoid-seizure-40407311.html –> incentive framework. The department is expected to announce the enforcement campaign’s next steps as the drive begins.
