Indian Government to Cancel Registration of 15-Year-Old Government Vehicles in Effort to Reduce Air Pollution and Improve Road Safety

The Indian government has announced that it will be canceling the registration of all government vehicles that are older than 15 years and currently plying on Indian roads. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has issued a notice and is set to implement this decision on April 1, 2023. This will apply to state and central government-owned vehicles, including public transport corporations and buses owned by public corporations.

This move comes as a part of the National Vehicle Scrap Policy in India which was launched in 2021 with the aim of phasing out unfit-for-operation and polluting vehicles. It is expected that this decision will have a positive impact on the environment by reducing air pollution and also reducing the number of vehicular accidents caused by older vehicles.

In Nepal, the government has already banned the operation of 20-year-old public vehicles. However, the private sector has been opposing this decision and as a result, the system has not been fully implemented. With an increasing number of air pollution and vehicular accidents caused by older vehicles plying on the roads, the government has decided to take action and remove such vehicles from the roads.