Delhi Diesel Cars Over 10 Years Old Will Be Deregistered But There’s A Catch

With Delhi’s ongoing problem of poor air quality gripping the national capital, the government has announced another bold step. This time, any diesel vehicle that has completed 10 years or older in January will be deregistered. This move comes right after the Delhi government passed an order where vehicles older than 15 years for petrol and 10 years for diesel will be mandatorily scrapped.

But there is a catch: the government will issue a no objection certificate (NOC), and you can re-register your diesel vehicle in other states apart from the national capital. Do keep in mind that the NOC will not be issued for states which are identified as restricted areas for re-registration. The NOC will also not be issued for diesel cars that have completed 15 years from the date of application.  

The other option suggested by Delhi transport minister Kailash Gahlot is to convert the offending vehicles into all-electric vehicles to continue using them for more than a 10-year period. The owners will have to retrofit their diesel vehicles with empanelled electric kits via agencies approved by the department.

Of course, if that doesn’t work then the diesel vehicle will be scrapped as per the order passed earlier this month. And that procedure is relatively straightforward between the owner and the authorised scrap yard, which we’ve detailed in this report.  

While it may seem like yet another drastic step from the Delhi government, it doesn’t help that air pollution keeps soaring to dangerous levels in the national capital. In fact, there was a recent ban on entry of diesel/petrol commercial vehicles in the union territory until December 3.  There’s also been a  Green Tax introduced whereby private vehicle owners need to shell out extra while renewing their registration certificate.