Govt plans new policy to link scrapping of vehicles to pollution instead of age: Official

During the annual convention of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), Anurag Jain, Secretary of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, urged the automobile industry to assist in creating a "trustworthy" pollution check programme.

"When you come out with a policy that scrapping is mandatory after 15 years, people come back to us with a question — if I have maintained my vehicle well, why do you want to scrap my vehicle? You can't mandate," Anurag Jain said.

"We are studying it from the pollution (point) only," Jain said, in order to consider such situations, adding that the government is "working at a policy" for the same.

"Can we say that pre BS II? We are not talking about age. Can we do it? BS I or pre-BS I? Can we put up a limit for vehicle pollution?" the official noted.

"There also we will have to come out with ensuring that the pollution test will become something which is trustworthy," he added. "I would request all of you to help us out in designing the programme of pollution checks, which all of us right now know how to get the certificates."

"So instead of getting the certificates, you have to be a trustworthy certificate," Jain further said.

The official commended the automobile industry for its backing of the current vehicle scrappage policy, highlighting their contribution of offering up to 3 percent discounts on new vehicles in exchange for scrapping old ones.