Government working on policy for scrappage of vehicles based on pollution, not age: Official

The government is working on a policy for scrapping vehicles to be based on pollution and not on the age of the automobiles, an official said on Tuesday.

Speaking at the annual convention of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), Ministry of Road Transport & Highways Secretary Anurag Jain asked the automobile industry to help the government in designing the programme of pollution checks "trustworthy."

"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," Jain said.

In order to consider such situations, he said, "We are studying it from the pollution (point) only." The government is "working at a policy" for the same, he added.

"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 the vehicle pollution?" he added.

He, however, said, "There also we will have to come out with ensuring that the pollution test will become something that is trustworthy. 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."

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

Jain lauded the automobile industry for its support to the current vehicle scrappage policy by offering discounts of up to 3 per cent on new purchases for old scrapped vehicles.