Auto makers, owners to ensure scrapping of ‘end-of-life’ vehicles

Now, vehicle manufacturers and owners would be responsible for ensuring that the ‘end-of-life’ vehicles are discarded at the registered vehicle scrapping facilities.

The Union Environment Ministry has notified a new rule, under which the responsibility for scrapping the ‘end-of-life’ vehicles has been fixed on manufacturers and owners. This will be effective from April.

According to the new rules, every vehicle manufacturer must make necessary arrangements to receive the end-of-life vehicle from the registered owner. Besides, they have been encouraged to come up with incentives such as a buy-back scheme and ensure safe scrapping of such vehicles.

An end-of-life vehicle refers to automobiles that are declared unfit by the Automated Testing Station, and their registration is no longer valid.

According to the Environment Ministry, vehicles that have either surpassed their designated age limits—20 years for private cars and 15 years for commercial vehicles — or have suffered severe damage pose a threat to environment and public safety, hence they should be scrapped.

The car owners have to deposit their vehicles to a government registered vehicle scrapping facility, where materials are segregated and recyclables are sent to authorised recyclers.

Moreover, the vehicle testing centres will have to upload the details of unfit vehicles on a centralised portal, which will be developed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

The state governments have been urged to ensure a minimum number of scrapping collection centres. India currently has just 70 registered vehicle scrapping facilities.

Automakers have to recover at least 8 per cent of the steel used in vehicles, which were placed in the market 20 years ago. Scrap is used as a feed material in electric arc furnaces and induction furnaces during the manufacturing of steel.

Agricultural tractors and trailers, combine harvesters and power tillers are not subject to the Vehicle Scrapping policy – which is aimed at reducing pollution from unfit vehicles through their scientific disposal.