If you have a vehicle older than 15 years and thought that your chances of having to give it up would be slim as long as you did not run into Delhi Transport Department officials on the streets — think again.
Crack teams comprising personnel from the Department’s Enforcement Wing and civic bodies will soon be on the prowl to locate, impound and ensure that the last destination for such vehicles is a scrap yard, said government sources.
Over the last two years, the Department has deregistered two lakh such vehicles from its database — in line with directions from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) — effectively making it illegal to ply them on city streets.
Buoyed by recruitment of more personnel in the Enforcement Wing in addition to more vehicles at their disposal, the Department will now begin hunting and impounding such vehicles.
“Our teams will locate such vehicles, either while plying on the road or wherever they are parked, to impound them. Affluent colonies will be targeted in first instance,” said a senior Transport Department official, adding that the Delhi Police was also being requested to take similar action upon encountering such vehicles.
“Vehicles seized will not be returned to their owners as per scrapping guidelines notified by the department last month. The vehicles will be handed over to the MSTC [recycling plant], a facility in Greater Noida, for scrapping,” the official said.
The NGT, in its order on November 26, 2014, had issued direction stating that all vehicles, diesel or petrol, which are more than 15 years old would not be permitted to ply on roads. “…wherever such vehicles of this age are noticed…” the directions stated further, “… the concerned authorities shall take appropriate steps in accordance with law including seizure of the vehicles in accordance with the provisions of the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988,” the directions had stated.
Vehicles which are more than 15 years old, the Tribunal had directed further, would “…not be permitted to be parked in any public area and they shall be towed away and challaned by the police in accordance with law.”
