Mumbai will soon have official centres to scrap abandoned and outdated vehicles in Panvel and Karjat. They are expected to open by July or August. The plan was approved after a meeting between the Regional Transport Offices and the state transport department earlier this week.
These centres will be the first in the Greater Mumbai area. They are part of a total of eight scrapping centres planned across Maharashtra. The other centres will come up in Raigad, Jalna, Nagpur, Pune, and Nashik.
This is part of the national Vehicle Scrappage Policy. The goal is to remove old, polluting vehicles from the roads. It will also reduce traffic problems in cities. Land has been marked for the centres in Panvel and Karjat. Work has already started, and it should be done by July.
Once ready, vehicle owners can dispose of their end-of-life vehicles at these centres. Those who scrap their vehicles at authorised centres will get benefits. These include a fair market value for the vehicle and a 15% tax discount on a new vehicle of the same type.
For private vehicles, the tax discount is valid for 15 years. For transport vehicles, it is valid for 8 years. Owners must show a certificate of deposit from the scrapping centre to get the discount. This certificate will be valid for two years.
The decision comes after the Bombay High Court questioned the city’s lack of a system to deal with abandoned vehicles. On April 8, it criticised the BMC and traffic police for failing to solve the problem.
The court said that many abandoned cars are blocking roads and causing traffic jams. Some are parked near police stations. To fix this, the central government has asked all states to set up vehicle scrapping centres. In response, the plan was announced.
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