The Delhi government has introduced a new vehicle scrapping policy, wherein owners will have a limited three-week window to retrieve their impounded vehicles before they are sent for scrapping.
The transport department of Delhi has issued guidelines outlining the process for reclaiming impounded vehicles, which involves the development of an online platform to facilitate communication between vehicle owners, enforcement agencies, and registered scrapping facilities.
Under the new policy, vehicles impounded for exceeding their lifespan can apply for release within three weeks, with the enforcement agency expected to make a decision within one week.
To retrieve impounded vehicles, owners of four-wheelers will be required to pay Rs 10,000, while two-wheeler owners will need to pay Rs 5,000.
The release procedure is categorized based on whether the vehicles are to be moved out of the Delhi-NCR region or parked in private spaces.
Last year, the transport department initiated a drive to impound vehicles that had surpassed their life expectancy, resulting in the seizure of thousands of vehicles. Petrol vehicles older than 15 years and diesel vehicles older than 10 years are considered beyond their lifespan in the capital.
Following legal challenges and a Delhi High Court order for conditional release, the government issued new guidelines outlining the scrapping process under various scenarios.
According to the Delhi government’s Statistical Handbook 2023, there were 79.4 lakh registered motor vehicles in Delhi as of March 31 last year, with over 62 lakh vehicles deregistered due to reaching their end-of-life terms.
To combat pollution and encourage responsible disposal of older vehicles, the impounding drive aims to streamline the release process and ensure proper scrapping procedures are followed.
