Govt Proposes Scrapping of Vehicles Older Than 15 Years to Promote Electric Vehicles

New Delhi, July 26: The government on Friday proposed amendments to Motor vehicle norms to allow scrapping of vehicles older than 15 years in a bid to spur adoption of electrical vehicles. In a draft notification, the government proposed renewal of fitness certificates for vehicles older than 15 years every six months instead of the current timeframe of one year.

"The Ministry has issued a draft notification for amendments to the CMVR (Central Motor Vehicles Rules) for providing a boost to the Electric Vehicles, ensuring divyang friendly features in buses, and providing an enabling mechanism for scrapping of vehicles older than 15 years," Road Transport and Highways Ministry said in a statement. Lok Sabha Passes Bill to Amend Motor Vehicles Act.

For conducting test and the grant and renewal of fitness certificate for motor vehicles older than 15 years, the fees have also been increased. Under this category, the draft notification proposes certificate renewal charges of Rs 1,200 for manual, and Rs 2,000 for automated vehicles under medium or heavy motor vehicle.

Besides, the notification provides for "priority seats, signs, securing of crutches/canes/walkers, hand rail/stanchions, controls at priority seats and wheel chair entry/housing/locking arrangement for wheel chair for devyang (differently abled passengers) or passengers with reduced mobility to be checked and ensured at the time of fitness inspection for buses has been introduced".

The battery operated vehicles will be exempted for the payment of fees for the purpose of issue or renewal of registration certificate and assignment of new registration mark. The notification also provides that the newly purchased motor vehicles will be exempted for the payment of fees for registration certificate and assignment of new registration mark, if the purchaser produces scrapping certificate of the previously owned vehicle of same category issued by the authorised scrapping centre/agency.

For issuance, and renewal of certificates of registration and assignment of new registration mark, the fees have been revised. For medium and heavy goods/passenger vehicles, the registration charges for new vehicles has been proposed at Rs 20,000, while for renewal of registration, it has been fixed Rs 40,000.

For, imported motor vehicle (four or more wheeled), new registration charges have been fixed at Rs 20,000 and for renewal of registration the charges have been fixed at Rs 40,000. The copy of the draft notification has been issued for seeking comments and suggestions from people.