The Delhi government has come out strongly in favor of the environment and has resorted to cancelling the registration of all cars that are older than 15 years or more. Surprisingly, this pro-environment move could affect as many as a third of the cars registered in Delhi.

Nearly 5 lakh cars that fall under this new law are currently plying on Delhi roads. By cancelling car registration of unsafe vehicles, the government would render these cars as illegal and unsafe to roll on the roads. This law will be stringently enforced and these vehicles will be pushed off the roads in the next few months.

The Minister for Delhi Transport, Mr. Haroon Yusuf, stated to the press that “The process of cancelling registration has just begun. All car owners have been asked to get their cars subjected to emission testing and obtain a no-objection certificate from the Delhi government. The cars that fail the tests will be moved off the roads.” The transport department has also issued a notice for the technical testing of the cars that fall in this category.

Interestingly, the move has brought cheer to car manufacturers. They can now smell fresh opportunities to drive-up sales in Delhi. The state is the largest market for cars in India. As many as 3 lakh cars were registered in the national capital through 150 car dealerships since the commencement of 2008. Of a total of 15.47 lakh vehicles sold in India since January 2008, 20 percent of them were marketed in Delhi.

A similar exercise had been carried out by the Delhi’s transport department on trucks which were older than 15 years. A series of tests on vehicles revealed that only 10 percent were fit for use on roads in Delhi. The department had cancelled registrations of as many as 1.11 lakh trucks and commercial vehicles.