NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the city government to apprise it within 30 days about the status of formulation of a policy for release of seized end-of-life vehicles to their owners. The court noted that it was flooded every day with at least 5-6 petitions by aggrieved people in the absence of a proper policy with respect to seized end-of-life vehicles.
Single-judge bench of Justice Jasmeet Singh observed that the Delhi govt was trying its best within its limited resources to control pollution, but at the same time, it said that “the citizens cannot be harassed”. “This is troublesome. Don’t harass the citizens. Every day I have five petitions,” the judge said.
“The respondent shall file the status of the policy as directed within four weeks,” it added. It ordered Delhi govt to apprise it on the policy formulation on such seizure of vehicles at the end of their lives, on a contempt petition by the owner of an over 15-year-old petrol car, a “family heritage”.
The petitioner Sushma Prasad claimed that in spite of the order for the release of her car from the scrapper, the authorities had failed to do so. The HC had asked the Delhi govt to frame a policy f o r hand l ing suc h vehicles, as keeping in view the fact that these owners were willing to ensure that these seized vehicles should not be used in the capital.
To this, the lawyer for Delhi govt told court that the policy was in the final stages and will be in public domain soon. On August 22, the court had, while dealing with a batch of petitions against seizure of end-of-life vehicles by the authorities for being in violation of judicial orders banning use of petrol and diesel vehicles over 15 years and 10 years old, respectively, directed their release on an undertaking by the owners that they will either permanently park them in private spaces or remove them from the city limits.
