Government vehicles over 15 years old will not circulate on the roads from April

More than nine lakh vehicles over 15 years old from the central and state governments will be taken off the roads from April 1. New vehicles will take their place. Buses from Transport Companies and Public Sector Companies older than 15 years will also be included. These vehicles will be scrapped. In last year’s budget, states and union territories provided a 25 percent rebate on road tax on new vehicles purchased after scrapping old vehicles. This policy came into effect as of April of last year.

Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said the government is taking steps to increase the use of ethanol, methanol, bio-CNG and bio-LNG and electric vehicles. He said: “We have approved the scrapping of more than nine lakh government vehicles that are more than 15 years old. This will remove polluting cars and buses from the roads and replace them with new vehicles using alternative fuels. There will be a significant reduction.”

“After completing 15 years from the initial registration of said vehicle, it will be disposed of through a vehicle salvage center registered under the Motor Vehicle Rules,” the government-issued notice reads. Last year, Gadkari had said that he plans to set up at least one car scrapping center within a 150 km radius of each city. He said the country has the potential to become the car scrapping hub of the South Asian region.

Electric Vehicle (EV) sales are increasing in the country. Electric vehicle sales in the capital hit a record 7,046 units in December. This is an 86 percent increase over the same month last year. Since the implementation of the EV policy in Delhi, 93,239 EVs have been registered. Two-wheelers accounted for more than 54 percent of total electric vehicle sales. The sale of electric vehicles in the capital in December is the highest monthly sale in all the states and union territories. There are around 2,300 charging points and around 200 battery replacement stations in Delhi. Due to the Delhi government’s EV policy, the sale of these vehicles has increased in the capital. Under this policy, incentives are available to EV buyers and other interested parties.