Amidst the crackdown on vehicles falling under scrap years, vintage car aficionados heaved a sigh of relief as Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai  Kumar Saxena came to their rescue, directing the Delhi Transport Department that there should be no coercive action on the registered vintage vehicles. However, this has come with a rider that they are not to be driven on roads or used for commercial purposes. There are around 10,000 registered vintage cars in India.

LG Saxena has directed that bona fide vintage vehicles will no longer face coercive action by the Transport Department and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD. According to Raj Niwas, the LG has asked the Commissioner Transport and Commissioner (MCD) to ensure that their enforcement wings desist from coercive action in case of such bona fide vehicles.

Acting on a representation made by the Heritage Motoring Club of India, highlighting that their vehicles are being impounded by the authorities and requesting for clarificatory orders in this regard, the LG had asked his Secretariat to issue appropriate directions.

The transport department’s data shows there are 60,14,493 such vehicles in Delhi.  The enforcement teams of the Transport Department and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) impound diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years for scrapping. The Supreme Court in its order in 2019, banned plying of such end-of-life vehicles in Delhi.

“The LG has taken note of harassment being faced by the vintage car owners and directed the Transport and MCD to desist from impounding bona fide vintage vehicles for scrapping,” said the note. The notification issued by MoRTH on July 15, 2021, has enabled provision for the registration of vehicles that are 50 years old or more as vintage vehicles, the LG secretariat said.

Based on the notification of MoRTH, the Transport Department of Delhi government on December 2, 2021, ordered for allotment of common series “DLVA” “DLVA” for vintage vehicles. In further orders, the department specified the procedure for application and issuance of a certificate of registration as a vintage motor vehicle.

Delhi hosts several vintage car rallies, including the Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally and the 21 Gun Salute International Vintage Car Rally and  Concours d’Elegance. Last year, Delhi resident Kaleem Khan’s 1948 Humber Hawk III was seized by the state government citing its scrapping policy. Khan moved the court and later the Delhi High Court stayed the seizure of the car. It asked the Delhi government to clarify its stance on vintage vehicles.

Earlier this year, the Delhi government issued guidelines for the “end-of-life” vehicles stating that their owners can get the cars released by paying a fine of Rs 10,000 and giving an undertaking that these will not be driven on city roads. The owners would also need to park the cars in a private space and not in public.