Himachal Pradesh Announces Plan to Scrap 15-Year Old Cars

After Delhi-NCR, Himachal Pradesh has also announced plans to scrap old vehicles in the state. The government has announced plans to scrap vehicles that are 15 years old. As part of their new plan, the state plans to set up 12 scrap centers in the state. The new scrappage policy is likely to be implemented in the state from October this year.

The Himachal Pradesh government, along with help from the transport department, will be setting up one scrap center in each district. In order to encourage people, the Himachal Pradesh government has also announced incentives to the car owners. For those who scrap their old vehicles and then go to buy a new one, they will receive a discount on the registration fee of their new vehicle.

If you are a person who scrapped a non-commercial vehicle, then you are eligible for up to a 25 percent discount. If you had scrapped a commercial vehicle, then the discount amount will be up to 50 percent.

Speaking about the new announcement, Himachal Pradesh Transport Department Director DC Negi said, “15-year-old vehicles will be scrapped not only in Himachal Pradesh but across the country. The Registration Certificates (RC) of these vehicles are being canceled in the state. We are in the process of opening scrap centers, and the tender process for this is currently underway. Those who have applied to open scrap centers will soon have their applications reviewed, and work will be allotted to the selected firms.”

The scrappage policy to be implemented in Himachal Pradesh is slightly different. Under this new policy, the reuse of parts from scrapped vehicles is not allowed. Usually, people remove parts and panels from scrapped vehicles and reuse them in vehicles. They usually do this because these parts are cheaper than buying a new one.

However, the state government will not allow that in this case. Comprehensive records of scrapped vehicles will be maintained, and this would ensure transparency and compliance. By implementing this policy, the government not only wants to stop the use of old vehicles but also stop the reintroduction of old or reused parts into the market through mechanics.

The government feels that the reintroduction of old parts simply defeats the purpose or undermines the government’s efforts to eliminate old and potentially hazardous vehicles from the road. We are not completely on board with this move as in most cars there are some parts that can be reused. For example, the windshield and a door in perfect condition can all be reused.

The process of recycling the material to build a new car or any other product will only contribute to more pollution. We feel the government should come up with a clear set of guidelines on what parts can be reused and what cannot be used.

It looks like both petrol and diesel cars can both be used for 15 years in Himachal. In the Delhi NCR region, the government has a different set of rules. The life of petrol vehicles in the region is 15 years, while the diesel car owners only have 10 years of life for their vehicles.

Via: HT