SHILLONG, May 4: In a hill state where jeeps are cherished like family and wooden-body buses are revered as cultural artefacts, the Meghalaya government’s decision to implement the Vehicle Scrappage Policy has sparked more than just outrage — it has struck a deep emotional chord.
The policy, which seeks to phase out 13,000 old vehicles—including 5,000 government-owned vehicles over 15 years old and 8,000 private vehicles over 35 years — has been met with widespread resentment. For many, these vehicles are not just a means of mobility but symbols of aspiration, heritage, and survival.
Ashoke Lyngdoh, a respected vintage car aficionado whose vehicles date back over 60 years, voiced what countless others feel: the policy feels like a coercive push to make people buy cars they cannot afford.
“Taxes have gone up so high and the taxes for cars have also gone up and sales have dropped, so as to force people to buy new car they force them to scrap old cars. It is as simple as that,” he said.
Lyngdoh, whose love for vintage machines is known across the Northeast, pointed out that his vehicles might be safe from the axe — but others are not so fortunate.
“My vehicles are 60-plus, so it is not an issue for me per se as these will not be scrapped, but for Maruti’s second model and others it might be a problem even if it clears all the pollution emission,” he said.
His words strike at the heart of the matter: for many in Meghalaya, owning a vehicle is a once-in-a-lifetime achievement born of sweat and sacrifice.
“It is like a dream for so many of them to own a car and if they own a Maruti and that also you snatch away from them then that is not right,” Lyngdoh said.
“They may have bought it with a lot of hard work. It is not his fault, it is the fault of the state for not helping enough to put food on the table and so the poor guy has to buy second hand,” he added.
The resentment is further fuelled by what many perceive as selective enforcement. “Why are private cars being targeted and the lorries not being targeted? Are they so environmentally friendly?” Lyngdoh asked. “Even my World War II jeep passes the pollution test and they say it is as good as a Maruti,” he continued.
For Meghalaya’s many vehicle lovers, the new rule feels not only punitive but insulting. “There are so many people in Meghalaya who really love their cars and it is well maintained, especially amongst the Khasis. If they are maintaining, no pollution, then why scrap? They keep it in mint condition,” he added.
He further suggested that the policy should not be implemented indiscriminately and that only vehicles failing to meet pollution norms should be scrapped. Those that meet the standards, he said, should be allowed to remain on the roads.
The pain is shared by Khamjam Charmang, president of Café Racers Shillong. For him, this isn’t just a matter of transport—it’s about legacy. “The Indian cars such as Maruti or Hindustan Motors are our pioneers, the first automobile companies that produced in India, and if we scrap such cars… that only means we are not preserving our heritage and ruining our legacy,” he said.
Charmang lamented that India is forgetting its roots, even as other countries celebrate theirs. “Through this policy we are forgetting where we grew up from. We are just going by the convenience,” he said, calling instead for a policy that enforces stricter emission norms without erasing the emotional and cultural value of these vehicles.
Beyond nostalgia, there’s also a practical concern: Meghalaya’s terrain and economy are not built for modern luxury. “New vehicles BS6 are highly sophisticated and cannot be easily fixed on the roadside, whereas in the state a lot of vehicles are catering to the rural areas,” he added.
“What about the poor people who eke a living by driving pick-ups and old cars? Who will think about them?”
For Maxwell V Nongbri, a bike and car enthusiast, the outrage lies in the double standard. “According to me it’s stupid as the govt always tries to shift the responsibility to the public when there are cement and coke factories running with a higher emissions percentage which the govt has to deal with,” he said.
Instead of targeting vintage and well-maintained vehicles, he suggested scrapping only those without valid registration, fitness, or pollution certificates. “Without affecting the law-conforming citizens who value historic vehicles such as RX and Bajaj scooters which are synonymous with India’s growth as a country economically,” he added.
Automobile lover Harrison F Dhar echoed the frustration, particularly in light of recent reports naming Byrnihat the most polluted city in the world. “I want the government of Meghalaya to first deal with this horrible tag… then we can talk about the scrapping. The government needs to solve first the following before they try to solve a problem that isn’t really affecting anyone and which probably makes up only 3-5% of the total vehicles in Shillong,” he said.
He listed his concerns: Byrnihat’s pollution, traffic congestion and poor roads perpetually dug up by PHE and PWD. “The citizens cannot be just blamed for pollution,” he said.
In a state ranked as the third poorest in the country, where people hold onto their vehicles not as status symbols but as lifelines, the Vehicle Scrappage Policy is seen not as an environmental reform — but as a bureaucratic blow to dignity and memory.
As Ashoke Lyngdoh put it, “It is sad. You are taking away the dreams of many to own a car.”
