End of life vehicles
Meerut alone has around 59,000 registered vehicles that have completed their prescribed lifespan. Commission for Air Quality Management later kept Direction 89, concerning the liquidation of large fleets of end-of-life vehicles in Delhi-NCR, in abeyance until further orders. Because their diesel vehicles were over 10 years old or petrol vehicles more than 15 years old, on Aug 12, 2025, Supreme Court directed that no coercive action be taken against vehicle owners merely. Because these had crossed their prescribed lifespan, the court subsequently modified the protection in an order dated Dec 17, 2025, extending it to BS-IV and later emission-standard vehicles and directing that no coercive action be taken against owners solely. The controversy, therefore, is no longer confined to vehicle age and pollution norms.
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An ARTO from a western UP district said details of suspected end-of-life vehicles were being forwarded to police stations, following which RTO enforcement teams, accompanied by police, were visiting the registered addresses. Meerut : A crackdown on end-of-life vehicles in western Uttar Pradesh has triggered protests after transport and police teams began removing overage vehicles from outside homes, shops and clinics, prompting residents to question the lack of prior notice and the legality of seizures from private premises. Teams led by assistant regional transport officers (ARTOs) have been entering residential areas and narrow lanes, loading overage motorcycles, scooters and cars onto carriers and sending them for scrapping. Residents alleged they were neither served notices nor informed before vehicles were removed. The drive is underway across NCR districts of western UP to identify vehicles that have crossed the prescribed age limit. Unlike conventional roadside checks, the latest drive involves tracing vehicles to their registered addresses. It also turns on a vehicle’s emission standard, whether authorities can remove it from private premises, what notice must be given before seizure and what safeguards are available to owners. With thousands of ageing vehicles still registered across NCR districts of western UP, those questions are likely to shape the next phase of the enforcement drive. Download the TOI App.
A Meerut resident said his 15-year-old car, gifted to him at the time of his marriage, was taken from outside his house. Another resident, Ravi Kumar, said a nearly 20-year-old scooter belonging to his late father was removed from the parking area outside his home.
There is pressure on the enforcement machinery to seize these vehicles and meet the target,” the official said. Meerut ARTO Vikas Yadav said, “We have to act on the data reflected on the portal and nullify the vehicles as soon as possible as per the instructions. Baghpat resident Dr Praveen Sharma said his motorcycle was picked up from outside his clinic without warning. There should at least be a proper process to inform the owner,” he said. We had an emotional attachment to the car,” he said. I understand the pollution rules, but for me it was a memory of my father, not a vehicle being used on the road,” Kumar said. Bulandshahr ARTO Neetu Sharma said transport department’s responsibility was to identify end-of-life vehicles, issue notices to owners, seize vehicles during enforcement drives and send them to govt-authorised scrapping centres. After scrapping, the proceeds are paid to the owner under the applicable procedure, she said.
“We are sending the data to police stations concerned, and RTO teams are conducting checks along with police. If a vehicle is found at the registered address, it is being picked up. For several owners, the drive has brought financial hardship and emotional distress. “There was no notice or information. “My wife kept asking why I had allowed it to be taken away. “I had kept the scooter as my father’s memory. He died during Covid and I never drove it after that.
A Ghaziabad milkman said his 15-year-old motorcycle was his primary means of making daily deliveries. “There is hardly any motorcycle in the market for less than Rs 1 lakh. The legal position on end-of-life vehicles in Delhi-NCR has evolved beyond the commonly cited 10-year limit for diesel vehicles and 15-year limit for petrol vehicles.
If govt takes away the vehicle I use to earn, how will I support my family?” he said. Meerut-based lawyer Satish Kumar Banak said the legality of such action would depend on the category of the vehicle, applicable court or regulatory orders and whether due process had been followed. “Authorities may have powers to seize vehicles in cases covered by applicable NGT and Supreme Court guidelines, but simply entering private premises and removing a privately owned vehicle without consent or due process can raise serious legal issues,” he said.
For some residents, the seizures have also affected livelihoods. The drive has raised questions over the circumstances in which authorities can remove vehicles from private property. Depending on the circumstances, an owner could seek police or judicial remedies if a vehicle was removed without lawful authority, he added.