The vehicle scrappage policy was introduced by the government with effect from April 1, 2022. Scrappage of all vehicles, both petrol and diesel, with registration dates 15 years and 10 years respectively, have been made mandatory. Well, this policy looks very nice, especially for an environmentalist, but taking a deeper analysis has made the common man unhappy.
Why The Vehicle Scrappage Policy Has Infuriated Indian Consumers – Potential Problems
We have categorized this answer into 3 main heads listed as follows:
1) Criterion Used – Registration Date
The vehicle scrappage policy has used the registration date as a criterion to discard vehicles. Although, there are numerous vehicles which have not been driven for even 50,000 km (which is less for any capable modern-day engine) despite their age is more than 15 years. These vehicles are old but can be driven around safely.
Even though one can go for a fitness test, it is a time and money investment for an ordinary citizen who is already occupied with his daily stressful life!
In other words, the vehicle scrappage policy should be aimed at discarding vehicles based on their odometers, not their age.
Also, Read – Why Vehicle Scrappage Is Essential For India
2) Cost
Affordability is another issue here. Not all families in India can afford to change their car every 15 years. Looking at the number of cars sold in India below 5-6 lakhs across our population, scrappage policy is not muchly appreciable.
3) Sustainability? Not Really
This might come off as a surprise, as the Indian government launched the vehicle scrappage policy with the main focus of reducing carbon emissions made by vehicles. However, think of the amount of metal waste generated while discarding all those old existing vehicles.
And even if we forget all the issues of metal and evaluate the vehicle scrappage policy from the perspective of carbon footprints generated, then here’s a fact – scrapping all vehicles above 15 years in India will generate more carbon footprints than maintaining and reusing those same old vehicles.
A Lesson To Be Learnt From Germany’s Mistakes
When compared to developed countries, even Germany (which is an automotive hub) faced a problem after the vehicle scrappage policy was introduced. When the scrappage of vehicles was made mandatory, the scrapyard instead of scrapping old cars, started to export them illegally, to poor countries like Africa. This means that the amount of Carbon footprint will still remain the same on the planet.
After some time, the German government made this export legal, as it was generating revenue!
By the way, if you’re scrapping your car yourself before the vehicle scrappage policy snatches your 15-year-old machine; you might as well take a look at this – 6 Crucial things You Should Know Before Scrapping Your Car
So that was about it for now. Follow up on the GoMechnaicBlog for regular updates about the automotive world.
