The first leg of the phaseout plan for old commercial vehicles has begun in Delhi. The transport department and the traffic police are cracking down on vehicles that are 20 years old. There are more than 9,000 such vehicles in Delhi. All such vehicles entering Delhi from other states will also be impounded, say transport department officials.

"A total of 9,349 registered commercial vehicles have to be phased out and we are carrying regular checks," said Mukund Upadhye, city traffic police chief. The ban follows a Supreme Court directive ordering a ban of 20-year-old vehicles from October 2 and 17-year-old vehicles from November 15. Earlier, the apex court extended the deadline of phasing out 15-year-old vehicles till December 31.