In August, the department had prepared a list of all commercial vehicles that would be 15 years and above by December 31. According to this list, all autorickshaws registered in the DHR, DER and DLR series are to be phased out by December 31. There is, however, no specific series regarding other commercial vehicles. Around 14,000 commercial vehicles, including autorickshaws in the DER series, which are 16 years and above, should have gone off the roads from November 15. Another 4,000 odd vehicles are to be phased out by December 31. But on Sunday, an Express Newsline survey of three batches of 40 autorickshaws separately at ITO, Pahargunj and Lajpat Nagar revealed that at least four were in the DER series.

In ITO, for example, the autorickshaws found plying were: DER 8602, DER 9695, DER 8474 and DER 5471. Narender, driver of DER 8602, said he was aware of the Supreme Court order regarding phaseouts, but till now no one had caught him plying. ``I was challaned once this month. But the policemen did not tell me anything,'' he says.

According to an official in the transport department, the registration certificates of all commercial vehicles which are supposed to have been phased are automatically cancelled. ``It is difficult for the transport department to check the current status of all such vehicles,'' he says. All auto-rickshaws which have been phased out on paper, or are to be phased out, are to be deposited at Buarai in north-west Delhi, the government's scrapyard. They will be scrapped before officials give a certificate to the owner. The owner will be allowed to buy a new vehicle and ply it on the old permit, only after he submits the certificate to the State Transport Authority.