Karnataka seeks Centre’s nod to exempt good-condition govt vehicles from scrappage

Belagavi (Karnataka), Dec 17 (PTI) Karnataka Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Wednesday said the state government has written to the Centre seeking relaxation or exemptions under the vehicle scrappage policy for certain government vehicles that are still in good condition.

Replying to a question raised by MLC Govinda Raju in the Legislative Council, Reddy said Tamil Nadu had sought and received similar exemptions.

"According to our secretary, we too have written to the Centre seeking exemption for some government vehicles that are in good condition. For example, fire service vehicles that have not seen much use. We have sought relaxation and are awaiting the Centre’s decision," the state transport minister said.

The minister said that following the Centre’s policy, the state government on September 12 approved the scrapping of all registered vehicles belonging to government departments, corporations, boards, municipalities and other subordinate institutions that are over 15 years old at registered vehicle scrapping facilities in the state.

Responding to a query on action against private buses and other private vehicles older than 15 years, Reddy said the matter would be discussed with the home minister and transport department officials.

"The Centre has provided a relaxation under which private vehicles can continue to operate for five more years after obtaining fitness certificates," he added.

Reddy said that as of December 4, the Centre had cancelled the registration of 18,552 government vehicles—excluding buses operated by transport undertakings—that are more than 15 years old, as per data on the Vahan portal.

Of these, 1,493 vehicles have been scrapped at registered vehicle scrapping facilities (RVSFs), while 17,059 vehicles are pending scrapping, he said.

Since 2023, about 3,212 vehicles have been decommissioned across four state transport corporations, while 579 vehicles are yet to be decommissioned, the minister added. PTI KSU SSK