There's still hope for your more-than-15-year-old vehicle. The government has recommended that fitness test should be the only criteria to phase out vehicles and thrashed a suggestion to disallow cars manufactured before 1996 from plying on roads. The recommendation was made during a recent meeting of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules-Technical Standing Committee.
Sources in the ministry of road transport and highways said the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), automotive industry body, demanded that there should be a mandatory scrapping policy for automobiles manufactured before 1996 as it would enable the entry of more eco-friendly vehicles. The government turned down the demand. "The ministry's representative said fitness test should be the only basis for operating vehicles on the road while keeping in view the concerns of manufacturers with regard to vehicular air pollution and emission norms," sources said.
The Indian Foundation of Transport Research and Training (IFTRT) also opposed SIAM's demand and said vehicle manufacturers have always been pushing to have mandatory 'culling' of motor vehicles, particularly commercial vehicles of certain age, without offering genuine cogent reasons other than their business greed. "It is a clear case of manufacturers wanting to escape from their responsibility and accountability for their product failures," said SP Singh, senior fellow at IFTRT.
Several members in the meeting said like in the West, India must have a proper fitness and maintenance testing procedure for vehicles. Every private vehicle has to undergo a fitness test after the first 15 years after which tests must be conducted every five years. For commercial vehicles, it is after two years initially and then annual tests.
At least 70 lakh private and commercial vehicles will go off the roads if the mandatory scrapping of cars manufactured before 1996 is implemented.
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