It is learnt that the Margao Municipal Council has opposed government’s plan to scrap 15-year-old vehicles in the State saying that the move will affect the common man eking a living on transportation.
If the vehicle is scrapped after 15 years, those in the transportation business may not have the resources to buy a new vehicle. Those affected could be owners of rickshaws, goods carriers, motorcycle pilots and even truck and bus owners.
If the scrapping policy is being introduced because old vehicles cause pollution, then the authorities can check the Pollution-Under-Control (PUC) certificate of the vehicle regularly.
The road-worthiness of a vehicle may not entirely depend on the number of years but on the number of kilometers it has run. Some vehicles may have been used rarely but have completed fifteen years.
Scrapping them will amount to grave injustice to the vehicular owner. Instead of scrapping 15-year-old vehicles it would be more appropriate to have such vehicles undergo fitness tests at frequent intervals.
The Goa government needs to have a rethink on the vehicle scrapping policy and insist on fitness tests regularly instead.
