New Delhi [India], July 1 (ANI): Reacting to Delhi's fuel ban on diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years from today, AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj said that this step was impractical and the BJP did not know how to run the government.

Saurabh Bharadwaj said, 'Didn't they have any other way of stopping old vehicles? Now that the Monsoon has hit Delhi, will they conduct a pilot project for artificial rain? You've (BJP) filled in small potholes but left the larger ones as they are. Owners of Petrol Pump Associations say that this step is impractical. Will the petrol pump operator fight with the customer to stop giving petrol to them? They (BJP) don't know how to run the government.'

He further alleged that for the next 5 years, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta will keep accusing the Aam Aadmi Party.

'After 5 years, CM Rekha Gupta will say that we could not do anything because Arvind Kejriwal did not work accordingly in the past. When there was the Kejriwal government, he never blamed former CM Sheila Dikshit for any work not done,' he added.

From today, all End-of-Life (EoL) vehicles identified through Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras installed at fuel stations across Delhi will not be allowed to refuel, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM).

According to the CAQM, this enforcement will extend to Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar, and Sonipat from November 1, while the rest of the National Capital Region (NCR) will implement the restriction from April 1, 2026.

CAQM's member Dr Virendra Sharma said ANPR cameras have been installed at 500 fuel stations across Delhi, enabling real-time recording and tracking of vehicle data. To date, 3.63 crore vehicles have been screened through this system, of which 4.90 lakh vehicles have been identified as End-of-Life (EoL).

He added that 29.52 lakh vehicles have renewed their Pollution Under Control Certificates (PUCC), resulting in the generation of challans amounting to Rs 168 crores.

To strengthen enforcement, 100 dedicated teams from the Transport Department, Government of NCT of Delhi, are actively monitoring vehicle data to identify fuel stations with the highest number of EoL vehicles and ensure targeted compliance action.

Dr Sharma said, 'It is very important to remove old BS standard vehicles to clean the air of Delhi and NCR. These vehicles play a big role in air pollution. Now that a transparent, digital and accountable system is in place, it will also be used at toll centres to make this system more effective. About 100 enforcement teams will work for this.' (ANI)