At the same time, the traffic police are also struggling with an acute staff shortage. With no clear deadline to achieve the objective, there is no saying how long will it take for the old vehicles to actually go off road.

Pollution has been choking Delhi for many years now. An IIT-Kanpur study on air pollution had suggested that vehicular pollution was the second biggest contributor to PM2.5 at 20 per cent, with the biggest being road dust at 38 per cent, followed by domestic fuel burning and industrial point sources.

"We will impound the vehicles and also feed the data shared by the transport department, so that vehicles flouting the norms can be identified easily," said Garima Bhatnagar, Joint CP, Traffic.

The Delhi traffic police, with close to 5,500 officers, has been facing an acute staff shortage. Over the years, senior officers have repeatedly brought the matter to the top brass' notice.

Apart from that, confusion has prevailed over how to dispose off these impounded vehicles. "The department don't know what to do with these vehicles. Even if impounded, there is no space to keep them," said a source in the Delhi transport department.

He further said, "The departments are clueless. They don't know whether to fine the owners and return the vehicles, sell them off as scrap, or auction them," he added.

Sources said that since the government lacked a proper mechanism to dispose the vehicles, there was a possibility that parts of these old vehicles may get fitted in other vehicles, whereby continuing to pollute the environment.

In a bid to control the rising air pollution in Delhi, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had ordered immediate de-registration of diesel vehicles more than 15 years old. Chairing the meeting last week, Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung had ordered immediate implementation of NGT's order and action against more than 1.91 lakh old diesel vehicles.