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Renewing registration certificates of vehicles older than 15 years will cost up to eight times more from April across India, except the national capital region, where petrol and diesel powered vehicles are deemed deregistered after 15 and 10 years, respectively, according to an order by the ministry of road transport and highways.
From April 1, it will cost ₹5,000 to renew the registration of all 15-year-old cars, compared with the current rate of ₹600. For two-wheelers, the fee will be ₹1,000 instead of ₹300. For imported cars, the cost will be ₹40,000 instead of ₹15,000.
A delay in renewing registrations of private vehicles will cost an additional ₹300 every month. The penalty for commercial vehicles will be ₹500 per month. The new rules also mandate that private vehicles older than 15 years will have to apply for renewal every five years.
At least 12 million vehicles in India, including those in the NCR, are eligible for scrapping, official data show. To make it easier to scrap old vehicles, the transport ministry has allowed the entire application process to be filed online from anywhere in the country.
The cost of fitness tests of old transport and commercial vehicles will also rise from April. Transport authorities will charge ₹7,000 instead of ₹1,000 for taxis, and ₹12,500 instead of ₹1,500 for buses and trucks. A fitness certificate is mandatory for commercial vehicles once they are more than eight years old.
As per the rules laid down in various orders issued by the National Green Tribunal (2015) and the Supreme Court (2018), any registered diesel vehicle over 10 years old, and petrol vehicles over 15 years old cannot operate in NCR. Such vehicles are called “end of Iife” vehicles and driving them in Delhi is illegal and they cannot even be parked in public spaces.
By raising compliance fees, the central government hopes owners will choose to scrap their vehicles and buy more modern ones that are less polluting. Air pollution is a serious problem in India, particularly in the cities, and vehicular emissions are one of the main reasons for the increasingly filthy air.
To make the process of scrapping easier, the ministry on March 10 proposed amendments to its Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facility (RVSF) rules, which were first notified on September 25 last year. Under draft Motor Vehicles (Registration and Functions of Vehicle Scrapping Facility Amendment) Rules, 2022 notified on Thursday, vehicle owners will now be able to apply digitally for vehicle scrapping.
“All applications for vehicle scrapping shall be submitted digitally. RVSFs will act as facilitation centres to help vehicle owners apply digitally to scrap their vehicles. The RVSF shall also digitally verify through the Vahan portal that the hire-purchase, lease or hypothecation agreement in the certificate of registration of a motor vehicle has been duly discharged for the concerned vehicle; that there are no pending dues on the vehicle; and that the vehicle has not been blacklisted. If the vehicle fails any of these checks, the owner shall not be allowed to submit the digital application,” the draft notification stated.
Anyone applying to scrap her vehicle will have to upload a few documents that include a copy of PAN card, valid ID, address proof, photo ID, a cancelled cheque of the bank account of the owner and an undertaking from the owner acknowledging that all information furnished was true.
Once the application is submitted on the Vahan portal, it will be sent to the concerned regional transport office for a no dues certificate. On receiving the clearance, the RVSF shall accept the digital application and inform the owner to submit the vehicle for scrapping.
People can scrap their old vehicle at any RVSF, irrespective of the state or Union Territory in which their end of life vehicle is registered, the ministry clarified.
Sweta Goswami writes on politics, urban development, transportation, energy and social welfare. Based in Delhi, she tracks government policies and suggests corrections based on public feedback and on-ground implementation through her reports. She has also covered the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) since its inception.
