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The Road Transport and Highways Ministry has come out with a voluntary vehicle replacement scheme for trucks and buses for which it has invited comments.
The scheme, which is also a Scrapping Policy, proposes benefits in three forms to vehicles bought on or before March 31, 2005. First is scrap value to be decided by recycling and shredding centres. Automobile manufacturers are expected to provide special incentives.
Also, subject to the Finance Ministry’s nod, there is a scope to get excise duty cuts of up to 50 per cent or even full benefits for state road transport union buses, the scheme proposes. The new vehicle should at least be BS-IV compliant.
Meanwhile, IFTRT, has already expressed reservations stating that the vehicle retirement, voluntary or mandatory, should not be based on single agenda of vehicular air pollution in certain cities because this economic asset is put on the roads by mandatory annual maintenance and inspection (fitness) regime and quarterly Pollution Under Control certification under Central Motor Vehicle Rule - 89. Instead, the annual fitness certification process should be strictly implemented.
The Ministry’s stance has stated that BS-IV trucks will reduce air pollution by 17-24 per cent for medium and heavy commercial vehicles can lead to a faster vehicle replacement regime —either voluntary or mandatory as BS-VI in next few years will further reduce the air pollution, according to IFTRT.
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