Not govt but NGT has banned use of old vehicles in NCR: Nitin Gadkari

New Delhi: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday said the government has not prohibited plying of old vehicles, and it was the National Green Tribunal which banned use of diesel and petrol vehicles beyond a certain age in the NCR.

The vehicle scrapping policy of the government does not ban use of 15-year-old vehicles, Gadkari said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha.

He further said that the Supreme Court has directed the transport departments of states in the National Capital Region (NCR) that all diesel vehicles more than 10 years old and petrol vehicles more than 15 years old shall not ply in terms of order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) dated April 7, 2015.

The road transport and highways minister said that the government has formulated the Voluntary Vehicle Fleet Modernization Program (V-VMP) or Vehicle Scrapping Policy for creation of an ecosystem to phase out unfit and polluting vehicles in an environment-friendly manner.

"Under this policy...eligibility for private vehicles plying in States/UTs other than Delhi NCR, determined based on their fitness status, as certified by the Automated Testing Stations (ATS)," he said.

In respect of vehicles registered in the name of governments, the usage will expire after 15 years, Gadkari added.

Responding to a separate query, the minister said till date, 13,795 black spots have been identified on National Highways.

The minister said rectification of black spots is a continuous process, and temporary measures are taken on an immediate basis.

"Out of total 13,795 black spots identified on National Highways (NHs) in the country, short-term rectification has been completed on 11,866 black spots and long-term rectification has been completed on 5,324 black spots," Gadkari said.

Replying to another question, he said the Dehradun-Delhi Access Controlled highway with a total capital cost of Rs 11,868.6 crore is targeted for completion by October 2025.