272 vehicles deregistered, 623 impounded in Faridabad district

Bijendra Ahlawat

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Faridabad, April 22

The district authorities have taken action against outdated vehicles in accordance with the vehicle scrappage policy introduced by the state government last year. As many as 272 vehicles have been deregistered, and 623 have been impounded. However, the exact number of operational old vehicles in the district is yet to be determined.

A district official revealed that 895 vehicles had already been impacted by the scrappage policy, and instructions had been issued to speed up the work. The policy states that diesel and petrol vehicles over 10 and 15 years old, respectively, are eligible for the removal from road. Rebates or discounts in the form of motor vehicle tax or registration fees are provided to those who scrap their vehicles. The rebate for vehicle tax is 10 per cent on the purchase of a new motor vehicle or 50 per cent of the scrap value as mentioned in the certificate of deposit, whichever is lower. The policy also offers scrapping incentives in the form of rebates to the extent of 25 per cent on the registration of a new vehicle.

However, a higher fitness fee shall be charged for vehicles over the critical age, and environment compensation and road risk charge at the rate of Rs 1 per CC will be applied during the fitness testing process. The policy came into effect on December 7, 2022, and will remain in effect for five years.

SK Sharma, coordinator of NGO Road Safety Organisation, pointed out certain loopholes in the policy. He stated that there is no scrapping centre in the district, and the exact number of old vehicles is yet to be determined.

He claimed that there could be over 30,000 outdated vehicles parked in various localities. In compliance with the NGT order to ban the plying of old vehicles in the NCR, around 724 vehicles had also been impounded in 2021. The scrappage policy will complement these earlier orders, as pollution is a cause for concern.

Regional Transport Authority secretary Jitender Gahlawat said the impounded vehicles would be shifted to the scrappage centre, which is functional at Tauru in Nuh district. However, the district is yet to come up with such a facility, he added.

Vehicle scrappage policy

• In accordance with the state government policy of vehicle scrapping, diesel and petrol vehicles over 10 and 15 years old, respectively, are eligible for the removal from road.
• Rebates or discounts in the form of motor vehicle tax or registration fees are provided to those who scrap their vehicles.