Delhi Transport Department impounds 2,234 old vehicles to combat air pollution

The Delhi Transport Corporation has impounded 2,234 old vehicles between October 1 and November 15, as part of an ongoing drive to tackle the worsening air quality in Delhi, PTI reports. As per official data, the seized vehicles include 260 diesel four wheelers that are over 10 years old, along with 1,156 two-wheelers, and 818 petrol three- and four-wheelers, which are older than 15 years.

The campaign, slated to continue through December, is part of a larger narrative to enforce environmental regulations and curb emissions. In tandem with the crackdown, the Transport Department has rolled out an online portal to facilitate scrapping, retrieval or sale of seized vehicles. The platform is designed to streamline the process, offering owners with a clear SOP for managing vehicles.

With air quality worsening in the national capital, the odd-even scheme is another measure that is expected to return. First instituted back in 2016, and nearly every year since, the scheme limits the number of privately owned cars by allowing vehicles with license plates ending in an odd digit to ply on odd dates, and those ending with an even digit to ply on even dates. However, exemptions were made for CNG and electric vehicles.

In addition, the Delhi government has already announced a ban on commercial and private vehicles that are BS3 petrol and BS4 diesel certified. These measures should help curb the rising air pollution in the National Capital Region.

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