Delhi launches ‘gamechanger’ ban on petrol vehicles to tackle air pollution

Vehicle emissions from Delhi’s auto rickshaws and other petrol vehicles count for an average of 23% of pollutants in the air. Photograph: DB Pictures/Alamy View image in fullscreen Vehicle emissions from Delhi’s auto rickshaws and other petrol vehicles count for an average of 23% of pollutants in the air. Photograph: DB Pictures/Alamy Delhi launches ‘gamechanger’ ban on petrol vehicles to tackle air pollution Government hopes to make 30% of city’s fleet electric vehicles by 2030 and build 30,000 public charging points The unruly chaos of Delhi’s roads would be unrecognisable without the rickshaws and scooters that zip through India’s capital in their millions, emitting toxic fumes in their wake. But now, ambitious policies aim to give the city’s most recognisable vehicles an environmental makeover. On Monday, Delhi’s government announced plans to eventually ban petrol scooters, motorbikes and autorickshaws in favour of those running on electricity, in an attempt to bring down dangerously high pollution levels in the city by the end of the decade. The policies, which will phase out new petrol and gas scooters, trucks and buses in the capital over the next two years, have been hailed by some environmentalists as a “gamechanger” in the fight to bring down toxic emissions. In recent years, transport has grown to be one of the highest contributors to Delhi’s air pollution, which is consistently at levels dangerously high to human health and has become an emergency for the capital, linked to tens of thousands of deaths each year . Scooters and rickshaws – which largely run on petrol and compressed fossil gas – account for more than two-thirds of the tens of millions of vehicles on Delhi’s roads. Under the new policy, India’s capital will now only issue new licence plates to electric small trucks and three-wheelers, known as e-rickshaws, from 2027, and to e-scooters and electric motorbikes from 2028. View image in fullscreen An air pollution protest in front of Delhi’s India Gate in November last year. Photograph: Bhawika Chhabra/Reuters The Delhi government said it hoped that the move will lead to an electrification of least 30% of the capital’s vehicle fleet by 2030. “The policy focuses on pure EVs, which offer superior environmental benefits as zero-emission vehicles,” Delhi’s government said in a statement on Monday. Amit Bhatt, the managing director or the International Council on Clean Transportation said: “The proposed phaseout of two- and three-wheelers could be a game-changer in Delhi’s fight against air pollution.” Emphasising that scooters, rickshaws and trucks accounted for most of the vehicles on Delhi’s roads, Bhatt added that “accelerating their transition to zero-emission vehicles can significantly reduce vehicular emissions, improve public health, and pave the way for a broader transition to zero-emission transport across all vehicle segments”. The Delhi state government, run by the Bharatiya Janata party which also governs at national