15-yr-old govt vehicles will be scrapped, policy sent to states: Gadkari

Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari has said that state govts have been told to scrap 15-year-old vehicles plying on the roads

Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Friday that all government-owned vehicles that have completed 15 years will be scrapped. The government of India has sent a policy to that effect to all state governments. This included vehicles in all forms including buses, trucks or cars. Every old vehicle will be pulled out of the streets, he said.

Addressing the opening of the 2022 edition of Agrovision in Nagpur, he said, "Yesterday, I signed a file under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that all the vehicles of the Indian government which have completed 15 years will be scrapped. I have sent this policy of the Indian government to all the states. They should adopt this policy at the state level."

The government had announced the vehicle scrappage policy earlier this year intending to address the menace of vehicular pollution. Gadkari had earlier said that the government plans to establish 2-3 vehicle scrapping facilities in every district across the country. The union minister also said that the parts of the scrapped vehicles such as old tyres will be utilised in constructing roads.

In October, 2018, before the government announced the vehicle scrappage policy, the Supreme Court prohibited using 15-year-old petrol and 10-year-old diesel vehicles in Delhi-NCR. In 2014, the National Green Tribunal issued an order prohibiting parking automobiles older than 15 years in any public space.

In August 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the automotive scrappage policy also known as Voluntary Vehicle Fleet Modernisation Programme. While announcing the policy, the PM said it is expected to bring in an investment of almost Rs 10,000 crore.