The State Cabinet on Thursday approved the Vehicle Scrappage Policy, under which some 13,000 vehicles will be off the roads in the first phase. “We will now start addressing concerns relating to air pollution caused by inefficient and old vehicles. However, taking into account the overall economic condition of the state, we will address the matter by first taking off government vehicles which are 15 years and older,” Cabinet Minister and MDA 2.0 spokesperson Paul Lyngdoh said after the meeting.
“This will mean about 5,000 government vehicles will come under this policy to be off the roads,” he said. “The major benefits are to allow the government to reduce pollution, fuel imports, and recycle raw materials. At the moment, Shillong has roughly 2,76,262 vehicles, followed by Tura and Jowai,” he said.
“Once notified, the scrappage policy will come into effect,” he added. Going details about private vehicles, he said for private vehicles the limit has been set to 35 years.