NGT, not govt, banned old petrol, diesel vehicles in NCR: Nitin Gadkari on vehicle scrappage policy

 Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday clarified that the government has not banned the use of old vehicles and that it was the National Green Tribunal (NGT) which prohibited the operation of diesel and petrol vehicles beyond a certain age in the National Capital Region (NCR).

In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Gadkari stated that the government’s vehicle scrapping policy does not restrict the use of 15-year-old vehicles.

He added, “The Supreme Court has directed the transport departments of states in the National Capital Region (NCR) that all diesel vehicles more than 10 years old and petrol vehicles more than 15 years old shall not ply in terms of the order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) dated April 7, 2015.”

The road transport and highways minister said the government has introduced the Voluntary Vehicle Fleet Modernisation Program (V-VMP) or Vehicle Scrapping Policy to help phase out unfit and polluting vehicles in an environment-friendly way.

“Under this policy…eligibility for private vehicles plying in States/UTs other than Delhi NCR, determined based on their fitness status, as certified by the Automated Testing Stations (ATS),” he said.

He further mentioned that for vehicles registered in the name of government departments, the usage limit is set at 15 years.

In response to a separate question, the minister informed the House that a total of 13,795 black spots have been identified on National Highways.

“Out of a total of 13,795 black spots identified on National Highways (NHs) in the country, short-term rectification has been completed on 11,866 black spots and long-term rectification has been completed on 5,324 black spots,” Gadkari said.

He added that fixing black spots is a continuous process and that temporary measures are taken immediately.

Replying to another query, Gadkari said that the Dehradun-Delhi Access Controlled Highway, with a total capital cost of ₹11,868.6 crore, is targeted for completion by October 2025.

(With PTI inputs)