No More Diesel And Petrol Vehicles In Delhi-NCR?

Reports state that the Central Government is holding high-level discussions to completely phase out pure petrol and diesel vehicles from the national capital and its adjoining areas - Noida and Gurugram. This will be done by restricting registrations of all new vehicles in Delhi-NCR. Instead, only those vehicles that run CNG, have hybrid powertrains, or pure electric vehicles will be allowed to register. While the timeline for this phase out is yet to be ascertained, it will be fixed once deliberations with several stakeholder ministries and automobile companies have been conducted. 

(Also Read: Expired PUC? No Fuel In Delhi From April 1)

As part of this ban, the central government will be targeting the commercial vehicle sector first, which would primarily focus on public buses. So by the end of 2025, we will see all buses currently plying between Delhi-NCR will be converted to CNG or EVs. This will be followed by a ban on ICE-powered three-wheeler goods and light goods vehicles, which is likely to come into effect from 2026-27. ICE-powered commercial taxis will follow the suit, and at the end, privately-owned cars and bikes will be the last to make this switch. 

(Also Read: Delhi to Ban Fuel for 15-Year-Old Vehicles from April 2025: What It Means for You?)

This initiative is part of the central government’s agenda to improve the air quality in Delhi-NCR, which has become a recurring issue. A few weeks ago, the government also passed a mandate that 15-year-old ICE-powered vehicles will not be allowed to refuel at fuel pumps in Delhi-NCR. But is banning ICE vehicles the ultimate solution to curb air pollution in the national capital, or is it just an easy target?