There is demand that at least one vehicle scrapping unit be established in each district, since Kerala has a whopping number of over 1.50 crore vehicles, a bulk of which are two-wheelers and cars.
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The Kerala government has decided to establish three registered vehicle scrapping units to implement the Centre’s scrapping policy regarding vehicles that are older than 15 years.
One of them would be a joint venture between the KSRTC and Braithwaite and Co Ltd., a Central PSU under the Railway Ministry. The registering authority has been authorised to invite tenders for the remaining two units.
The government had earlier identified the KSRTC as the agency to implement the Centre’s scrapping policy, based on the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) notifying the Motor Vehicles (Registration and Functions of Vehicle Scrapping Facility) Rules – 2021. It had also decided to permit the establishment of vehicle scrapping units in the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model with the KSRTC as a stakeholder, in addition to permitting individuals and others to set up such units, if they fulfilled the conditions prescribed in the Rules, it is learnt.
Subsequently, based on court orders, the government cancelled the order entrusting the KSRTC as the implementing agency to establish and operate such units and ordered that open tenders be invited, subject to stipulated conditions. Following this, the KSRTC proposed a memorandum of understanding with Braithwaite and Co Ltd. to establish a scrapping unit at any location where the KSRTC had adequate land.
Demands
In the wake of the directive, there is demand that at least one such unit be established in each district, since Kerala has a whopping number of over 1.50 crore vehicles, a bulk of which are two-wheelers and cars. Former Kochi Metropolitan Transport Authority (KMTA) executive officer G.P. Hari said the government must issue licences to individuals or firms to operate such units. “But care must be taken so that they are established in the category of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) under the Industries department, and not under the Transport department, for their effective functioning,” he said.
The number of vehicle scrapping units in the State must not be confined to just three, considering Kerala’s teeming and dense vehicle population, said B.J. Antony, who retired from the MVD as Senior Deputy Transport Commissioner. “Any stakeholder, having the mandated requirements or even the KSRTC should be permitted to open such units in different districts. This would encourage more people to scrap old vehicles by streamlining ease of business. Moreover, limiting the number of units across the State to three could result in a monopoly-like situation,” he said.
