The Vehicle Scrappage Policy has been a buzzword for quite some time now and there are good reasons why. India has over 1 crore old vehicles which are unfit to be on the roads. Apart from that, many of these vehicles are just left to decay in and around public places of various cities across the country. This has caused some serious health hazards for the people because of the toxic waste from the vehicles, as well as for the environment, due to the land and air pollution caused by old vehicles. In fact, an old vehicle (older than 15 years, for example) can cause as much as 15 times more pollution than a regular BS6 compliant modern car. This makes it extremely difficult to control the pollution and emissions and this is where the Vehicle Scrappage Policy will come into effect.
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Vehicle Scrappage Policy
All the private vehicles which are older than 20 years and commercial vehicles older than 20 years will have to go for the fitness test. These tests will calculate the exact amount of pollution caused by the vehicle and issue a certificate declaring if the vehicle is fit for the road or not. Having failed the fitness test will directly amount to the vehicle being illegal for the operation. Also, the fitness tests will happen regularly to ensure the condition of the old vehicle is not deteriorating rapidly. These tests will be a bit expensive as well, in order to promote the adoption of voluntary scrappage of vehicles by the owners. In order to keep the tests error-free and unbiased, the test centres for old vehicles will be automated. This will ensure that no foul play is involved in assessing the condition of any old vehicle.
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Announcements in Lok Sabha
The Vehicle Scrappage Policy is being welcomed by everyone alike due to the necessity and benefits of it. Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister for the Ministry of Road highway and Transport, has announced the details of the policy before the Lok Sabha. This includes suggestions like:
- Waiving of registration fees on the new vehicles for the owners who could provide the certificate of scrappage of their own vehicle. This could be a huge advantage and promotion for people to voluntarily give up their old vehicles for scrappage.
- The state governments may also offer road-tax benefits of upto 25%. This will be one of the biggest reliefs for new vehicle buyers considering the high road taxes at the moment.
- The new vehicle buyers may also be eligible for discounts of upto 5% on their purchase. This is also an exciting reward for people who make use of the vehicle scrappage process.
- The scrap value given by the scrap centre can be upto 4-6% of the ex-showroom prices of the new vehicle.
All these factors might well contribute to the quick adoption of the policy, which stands to benefit customers, the government and the environment alike.
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Benefits of Vehicle Scrappage Policy
Nitin Gadkari had earlier explained the benefits of this policy which includes the creation of new jobs and a boost in demand for new vehicles after the removal of around 1 crore old vehicles from roads of the cities. The recycling of old metal parts might also bring down the costs of manufacturing of new vehicles and the overall industry might be benefitted from it. There will also be proper disposal of toxic chemicals from the cars which otherwise would get dumped into land or the water bodies. This will positively affect public health and environmental health. In just a couple of years from now, we might have a proper and dedicated scrappage system which will ensure the government to have a proper record of registered vehicles on-road as well. We will be able to plan the future policies much better once we know the exact stats of how many vehicles are in which condition on our roads.
Also read: All new cars must have dual airbags from April 1, 2021!
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