"Theft Of Crores": Delhi Congress Chief On Phasing Out Old Vehicles

The Delhi Congress has alleged a Rs 100-crore scam in the scrapping of end-of-life vehicles and demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into what it described as large-scale corruption involving enforcement agencies, the Transport Department, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Delhi Traffic Police, and private scrap companies.

Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav filed a formal complaint with the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) on Wednesday, submitting documents to back his allegations. 

He claimed the scam was carried out "under the garb of the Supreme Court order" that mandated the phasing out of diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years in the capital.

"Forged and fabricated Certificates of Deposit were issued by scrap companies (RVSFS) against seized vehicles with the support of enforcement agencies. These certificates should have been issued only by the Central Transport Department," Mr Yadav alleged. 

He said that while some vehicle owners voluntarily submitted their old vehicles to the authorities, others had their vehicles forcibly taken away, and later, fake certificates were issued in those cases as well.

Mr Yadav further alleged that the Delhi Traffic Police disposed of seized vehicles without any public tender or auction, selling them to scrap companies at throwaway prices. 

"This has caused a theft of crores from the government exchequer. Enforcement agencies don't even have a record of how many vehicles were handed to scrap companies and how much money was received," his complaint to the CVC stated.

One of the most serious charges involved e-rickshaws. According to Mr Yadav, 10,919 seized e-rickshaws, which do not fall under the end-of-life vehicle policy, were handed over to scrap companies, even though their owners could have reclaimed them by paying penalties. "This is nothing short of robbery of poor people's livelihoods," he said, demanding a CBI inquiry.

Mr Yadav also alleged that scrap companies, in collusion with enforcement agencies, created fake identity cards carrying MCD and Delhi Police logos to intimidate vehicle owners into surrendering their vehicles. He claimed that companies under the same ownership used multiple registrations to escape scrutiny, even after receiving show-cause notices. Calling the entire process "a systematic fraud," he insisted that only a CBI-led investigation could uncover the scale of corruption.

The scrapping of "end-of-life vehicles" (ELVs) in Delhi is tied to the city's fight against air pollution. In 2014-15, the National Green Tribunal banned diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years, citing their high emissions. The Supreme Court later reinforced this order, meaning vehicles crossing that age limit could no longer legally ply on city roads.

The idea was simple: once an overaged vehicle is seized, it should be scrapped at an authorised centre. The owner is then issued a Certificate of Deposit, which can be used to claim benefits while purchasing a new vehicle, a move aimed at making the shift both environmentally beneficial and financially viable.

However, the policy has faced criticism from day one. Many residents and experts argued that a vehicle's fitness should be determined by its emission levels and kilometres run, not just its age. Speaking to NDTV, they said that the process was open to manipulation and there have been repeated cases of fake certificates, missing records, and seized vehicles being handed to private scrap companies at throwaway rates instead of being auctioned transparently.

The Delhi government had earlier also filed a review petition in the Supreme Court and reasoned that the "end of life" for a vehicle should not be determined solely by its age, but by the pollution output.

The Congress has now alleged that this flawed system was extended to e-rickshaws, vehicles that are not covered under the end-of-life rule, taking away the livelihood of thousands of owners.