Delhi govt kicks off drive to send overage vehicles directly for scrapping

The Delhi transport department Wednesday (March 29) kicked off a drive to send overage vehicles directly for scrapping. Delhi at present has around 53 lakh such vehicles, officials said.

The aim is to impound and send end-of-life vehicles directly to scrapping yards if found plying on city roads or parked in public places.

“Under the new initiative, end-of-life vehicles will be impounded and directly sent to scrapping yards if they are found plying on city roads or parked in public places,” said an official.

On Wednesday, 10 teams from the Enforcement Wing of the Transport Department impounded 50 vehicles, more than 10 years old (diesel) and 15 years old (petrol), found plying or deemed to be plying (parked in public place) in the Civil Lines area. These vehicles were handed over to a Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facility (RVSF) for scrapping, which is registered under RVSF Rules-2021.

The official added that “NOC for diesel vehicles up to 10 years/ less than 15 years old petrol vehicles can be issued for any place in the country. NOC for diesel vehicles above 10 years and petrol vehicles above 15 years will be issued for other states subject to certain conditions.”

However, NOC will not be issued for places identified by the state as restricted areas in terms of the order of NGT directions, which had directed the states to identify areas where the dispersion of air is higher, and vehicular density is least.

Vehicle owners will have the option to convert their 10 years old diesel/15 years old petrol vehicles to electric, in case they wish to ply their vehicle in NCT of Delhi. However, the retro fitment of such vehicles with empanelled electric kits shall have to be done through agencies approved by the Transport Department.

The other option available to the owner of such vehicles is to get them scrapped by filling an application on the Voluntary Vehicle Scrapping Application website and choosing any nearby registered vehicle scrapping facility, said the official.

The Supreme Court banned diesel and petrol vehicles older than 10 and 15 years, respectively, in Delhi in 2018. The court had also stated that vehicles plying in violation of the order would be impounded. A 2014 order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) also bars vehicles older than 15 years from being parked in public places. (With inputs from PTI)