Fact Check: Can you drive your 15-year old car in Delhi?

The NGT had issued an order banning the use of diesel and petrol cars more than 10 and 15 years respectively in Delhi in view of the rising pollution

A notification has gone viral with the claim that if you own a 10-year old diesel car or a 15-year old petrol car in Delhi, you can still drive it by paying a certain amount.

The notification has gone viral on both Twitter and Facebook in which it says that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has revoked its order to ban 10-year old diesel and 15-year old petrol cars. All you need to do is pay Rs 5,000 to renew your cars registration certificate.

OneIndia has learnt that there is such an order in place, but it is not about the use of 10 and 15 year old diesel and petrol cars respectively. The order of the NGT is still win force and there is no change to that at all.

The notification being shared pertains to the sale and purchase of used cars.

The website of the Delhi government clearly shows that the order is very much in place. The rule also applies to CNG cars older than 15 years and government vehicles as well.

The chairman of the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations of India Research and Academy, Vinkesh Gulati also said that the the ban is still in place.

"#Beware. The NGT has not allowed >10yrs Diesel & >15 yrs Petrol to be renewed in NCR. The ban is still effective. #media is also getting entangled in misconstrued information! #Whatsapp #WhatsappForward," Gulati said in a tweet.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways also tweeted, "a fake news is in circulation in Social Media claiming that MoRTH has issued a notification lifting ban imposed by Hon'ble NGT on vehicles (10 year old for diesel and 15 year old for petrol) in Delhi NCR."

"It also claims that the RC of such vehicles can be renewed by a payment of Rs 5,000. MoRTH wishes to clarify that the ban imposed by Hon'ble NGT, and upheld by the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India, is still in force, the Ministry also said.

"The notification GSR 901(E) dated 22-12-2022, which is in circulation, is published by this Ministry to regulate the trading of in-use registered vehicles and is no way concerned with the ban imposed by the Hon'ble NGT," the Ministry also said.

What is the notification about:

The government's notification which has gone viral is from December 2022. It speaks about the rules for dealers or companies involved in the sake of second-hand vehicles. The order was issued to fix a loophole which was being used by car dealers to sell stolen cars.

The notification says that such dealers will now be certified and will also be accountable for the cars till the old car is duly transferred in the name of the new owner.

The NGT order is not applicable to the entire country. There are 33 districts in Uttar Pradesh, 26 districts in Maharashtra and 20 in Bihar where vehicles older than 10-15 years are permitted.

Moreover the registration was hiked from Rs 600 to Rs 5,000.