Delhi Govt Will Seize Your Old Car If It’s Seen In Public Space

As we all know, Delhi NCR has a very strict policy regarding vehicles. Any petrol vehicle that is 15 years old or a diesel vehicle that is 10 years old is considered unfit for the roads and is said to be contributing to pollution. Authorities have started special drives to locate and seize such old cars. The Delhi government has now issued a notice mentioning that it might impound your old car if it is found parked in an open or public space.

The government notice mentioned that parking such vehicles in public spaces is a violation of the guidelines issued this February. The government reiterated that, as per the guidelines, there is a complete prohibition on parking overage vehicles in areas just outside residences, which are considered public places.

The notice stated, “Keep such vehicles in private parking spaces owned by the individual, not in a shared parking space, even if it’s part of a residential complex. A parking space allotted to the owner within a residential complex is considered private.” According to the notice, the Delhi government has deregistered 5.5 million overage vehicles.

What should car owners do?

If you own an old petrol or diesel car, ensure that you are not parking the vehicle anywhere in public. If you can’t find a private space, you can get in touch with the authorities to obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for your vehicle.

The NOC will be issued within one year after the vehicle’s expiry date. Once you get the NOC, you can transfer and register the vehicle in a different state in India. The authorities will not issue an NOC if the customer approaches them with a vehicle that has expired for more than a year.

In such cases, the only option is to get the vehicle to a private parking space and leave it there. You cannot drive these vehicles on the road, and the best option would be to transport it on a flatbed.

Delhi High Court’s Rule

Last year, the government started a drive to seize vehicles that were not fit for the roads, including those that had completed 10-15 years. The Delhi High Court received thousands of petitions regarding this matter. The petitioners challenged the Government of Delhi’s policy that allowed the seizure of petrol vehicles older than 15 years and diesel vehicles older than 10 years, arguing that this rule violated their right to property.

The Delhi High Court reviewed the matter and later passed a new rule. As per the new rule, recently seized “end-of-life” cars should be released to their owners. However, the court’s ruling added that the release would only occur when the owners of these seized vehicles sign an undertaking that they will not use these cars within the city limits.

The Delhi High Court added that these released vehicles should be parked permanently in private spaces or taken out of the city limits to avoid further seizure. The current notice published by the Delhi government does not violate the rule set by the High Court.