No renewal for 15-year-old govt vehicles: Union ministry - to implement the ambitious voluntary vehicle scrappage policy, the Union road transport and highways ministry has issued a draft notification

Policy to apply to all vehicles owned by the Centre, the states, Union Territories, public sector undertakings, municipal bodies and autonomous bodies

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TT   |   New Delhi   |  14.03.21: In a move to implement the ambitious voluntary vehicle scrappage policy, the Union road transport and highways ministry has issued a draft notification that states that registration would not be renewed for government vehicles that are 15-years-old on April 1, 2022.

This will apply to all vehicles owned by the Centre, the states, Union Territories, public sector undertakings, municipal bodies and autonomous bodies. It has sought stakeholders’ comments to amend the related rules in this regard issuing a notification.

“From April 1, 2022, government departments will not be able to renew the certificate of registration of their vehicles after 15 years. This will apply to all government — central, state, UT, PSUs, municipal bodies and autonomous bodies,” the ministry of road, transport and highways said in a tweet.

The development comes close on the heels of the voluntary vehicle scrapping policy announced in the Union budget on February 1 for 2021-22 which provides for fitness tests after 20 years for personal vehicles while commercial vehicles would require it after the completion of 15 years.

A notification on the draft rules has been issued to this effect on March 12 by the ministry, seeking comments, objections and suggestions from the stakeholders within 30 days. The certificate of registration shall not be renewed after the lapse of 15 years for government vehicles, it said.

In January, the road transport and highways ministry had proposed a clutch of measures to ensure that vehicles  which are over 15-years-old  stay off the road. This included a steep increase in fee for the renewal of fitness certificate for old commercial vehicles, increasing the fee for the renewal of registration of private vehicles that are over 20-years-old and imposing a hefty green tax on old polluting vehicles.

The ministry has proposed to increase the renewal fee for fitness certificate for commercial vehicles from the current Rs 200 to Rs 7,500. At present, it is mandatory for commercial vehicles, which are over eight years old, to renew their fitness certificate annually.

Presenting the Budget for 2021-22 in Parliament, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1 had announced the vehicle scrapping policy.