Goods vehicle owners express concern over scrappage policy

Expressing severe considerations over the newly issued scrappage policy of the Union authorities, the nationwide and State-level leaders of the All India Confederation of Goods Vehicle Owners’ Association (AICGVOA) have immediately approached the Union Ministry of State for Road Transport and Highways for a beneficial modification.

Instead of the straight dismantling of all items automobiles greater than 15 years outdated, they’ve proposed to introduce an automatic testing facility that may simply display screen out all unfit ones and thus implement the plan of the Union authorities with out affecting the livelihood of a majority within the sector.

The vehicle owners’ affiliation, together with the Kerala Lorry Owners’ Federation (LOF), say that such a scientific testing possibility will clearly give an image of the precise engine situation of the vehicle. There must also be an possibility for the vehicle owners to handle minor mechanical points after such automated screening and produce it once more for additional clearance.

Not sensible

Functionaries of AICGVOA and the Lorry Owners Federation say about 50% of the products carriers within the nation should be dismantled if the federal government is planning to go forward with the brand new scrappage policy. According to them, it is going to by no means be a sensible possibility for hundreds of vehicle owners.

“We have made it clear that the age of the vehicle should not be considered as the sole criteria for vehicle scrappage as there are thousands of well-maintained vehicles in service with no mechanical faults at all. The fitness condition of the vehicle should be the criteria to review the permit,” says Shaju Almana, State basic secretary of the Lorry Owners Federation. He additionally feels that Kerala would be the worst-affected State if outdated goods-carriers are stored off the highway based mostly on the brand new policy.

According to him, the matter has already been mentioned with Amit Varadan, Joint secretary of Road Transport and Highways, for a beneficial motion. “We are expecting an order soon that will propose automated testing facilities for vehicles and screen out only the unfit ones on the road,” he provides.

The Union authorities got here up with the brand new scrappage policy as a part of the makes an attempt to enhance gasoline effectivity, cut back air pollution degree, and promote the gross sales within the vehicle sector. Meanwhile, the products operators in varied States got here up with their protest citing that it might have an effect on round one crore ageing automobiles. The most important cause for such a protest was that almost all of older automobiles had been owned by a really lower-income group.