SHILLONG: With emphasis on environment protection, the Meghalaya government has decided to implement a vehicle scrappage policy which will ensure that old polluting vehicles are taken off the roads.
Under the new policy, at least 13,000 old vehicles will initially be scrapped. Out of them, 5,000 will be government-owned vehicles, and the rest, 8,000, are private-owned. While government vehicles which are 15 years or older will be scrapped, private vehicles have been given a breather, with those 35 years or older to be taken off roads.
Government spokesperson and minister Paul Lyngdoh said after a Cabinet meeting that old and dilapidated vehicles would no longer be deemed as roadworthy and would be scrapped. The decision was taken in the Cabinet to ensure that pollution levels in the state are reduced by taking polluting vehicles off the roads. It will also help the state indirectly through less import of fuel.
The policy will be introduced in a phased manner. Lyngdoh said that the age of the privately owned vehicles has been kept at 35 years and above, taking into account the economic burden on the people.
The state capital has about 2.76,000 lakh vehicles running on its roads. Other major towns like Tura in Garo Hills and Jowai in Jaintia Hills follow Shillong in the number of vehicles on the road. Due to the policy, some of the iconic buses with bodies made out of wood, plying mostly in the rural areas and some within the state capital, are likely to retire. The coal trucks running in the coal belts of the state may also witness a similar fate. These trucks ply mostly from the coal mines in the remote areas to coal dumps closer to the highways. Lyngdoh reiterated that the policy is being introduced to protect the environment, reduce emission levels, and improve the air quality of the state.
-Agencies