By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, May 5: A day after vintage car owners in Shillong lambasted the Vehicle Scrappage Policy, the Meghalaya government has clarified that vehicles registered as “vintage” under Section 81A of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989, will not come under the purview of the policy.
Commissioner and Secretary of the Transport Department, Sanjay Goyal said that the policy aims to modernise Meghalaya’s vehicle fleet by creating an ecosystem by promoting sustainability, road safety, and climate preservation through scrappage incentives.
He added that the policy establishes a robust scrapping ecosystem with registered vehicle scrapping facilities (RVSFs) to streamline fitness testing, collection, depolluting, and dismantling of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs).
“The vehicle scrapping policy also promotes fleet modernisation by phasing out unfit, high-emission vehicles through a scientific, eco-friendly process, reducing pollution and enhancing fuel efficiency,” he said.
Giving details of the policy, he said all 15-year-old or older government vehicles that fail fitness tests will be scrapped at the RVSFs.
The minimum age for unfit non-government vehicles (private and commercial) is 35 years. “However, this will not apply to vehicles registered as ‘vintage’ under Section 81A of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989 (as amended),” he said.
Earlier, the department claimed that the implementation of this policy would result in tangible benefits across multiple domains.
According to Goyal, formalising the scrapping and recycling industry will create employment opportunities, while enhancing the efficiency in vehicle disposal and recycling will help reduce the number of unfit vehicles. This will significantly lower pollution levels, protecting the health and well-being of Meghalaya’s residents.
He said the incentives for RVSFs include 100% exemption of stamp duty and registration, subject to a monetary ceiling of Rs 10,00,000, and landbank support to set up vehicle collection centres in Meghalaya.
The incentives for vehicle owners includes certificate of deposit, which will be issued after successful scrapping of the ELVs. The tradeable certificate of deposit allows owners to avail incentives on new vehicle purchases.
People buying BS VI-compliant or electric vehicles after scrapping their old ones will receive a full waiver on RTO registration charges, Goyal said.
Similarly, there will be a motor vehicle tax rebate up to 25% for non-transport vehicles and 15% for transport vehicles, valid for eight years (transport) and 15 years (non-transport).