Bengaluru: The Karnataka government will roll out a vehicle scrappage policy in the next 15 days. The state government has implemented this rule after Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari announced that all government vehicles that have completed 15 years will be scrapped.
The state government has taken this step as per the policy guidelines sent by the Center to all the states. In Karnataka, there is also a proposal to give rebates to owners who buy new vehicles for scrapping old vehicles.
According to data released by the Karnataka Transport Department last year, of the 2.8 crore vehicles on the road in Karnataka, more than 79 lakh vehicles are more than 15 years old. Both the central and state governments are trying to scrap vehicles that do not have a fitness certificate (FC). Many such vehicles are still plying on the roads of the state, endangering the environment and getting involved in accidents.
A senior official said that there are vehicles under different categories including commercial, private and government. Under each category, according to the age and robustness of the vehicles, the vehicles are scrapped. Officials say they are thinking of giving incentives to those who voluntarily surrender their vehicles by issuing certificates through which they can get a subsidy or discount on their next new vehicle purchase.
Policy ready in next 10 days: The Centre’s vehicle scrappage policy will allow states to frame their own rules, the Karnataka transport department is currently in consultation with various experts and stakeholders. “The rule will be ready in the next ten days,” Transport Secretary NV Prasad told the Media.
However, some officials are skeptical about the implementation of this policy in Karnataka. There are many vehicle owners associations in Karnataka who can bring political pressure to weaken the policy. There are thousands of vehicles in Karnataka that are more than 25 years old.
