Scrappage policy to focus on emissions rather than vehicle age

"The rule should focus more on polluting vehicles than the ones that have reached a certain age."

According to media reports, the government is reviewing its Vehicle Scrappage Policy. It is said that the rule that mandates the scrapping of vehicles over 15 years old could be amended to focus on emission levels rather than the age of the vehicle.

Anurag Jain, Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, said, “When you come out with a policy that scrapping is mandatory after 15 years, people come back to us with a question – if I have maintained my vehicle well, why do you want to scrap my vehicle? You can’t mandate.”

Jain went on to state, “The rule should focus more on polluting vehicles than the ones that have reached a certain age.” For this, pollution tests will have to be stricter. Jain invited the industry to develop a better pollution-checking mechanism which is more trustworthy.

The Vehicle Scrappage Policy was introduced in 2021. As per the policy, private vehicles above 20 years and commercial vehicles above 15 years are required to take mandatory fitness tests.

Source: HT Auto