Vehicle scrapping: Motor vehicle inspectors to fix prices for old and unfit vehicles

The state government has given Assistant Vehicle Inspectors the authority to fix the prices of vehicles that are supposed to be scrapped. At present, the vehicles that have to be discarded include the 8000 vehicles under police custody and another 2,000 vehicles which have been dumped by the government after using them for 15 years. Since scrapping centres have not been readied in the state for the purposes, such vehicles can be handed over to inter-state scrapping centres, but only after fixing their prices.

The Motor Vehicle Department has been given the charge to expedite the process. Earlier, only three Mechanical Engineers of the Public Works Department were bestowed with the responsibility of fixing the prices of the vehicles, but this was too much of work for them that the authorities were eventually forced to induct officials from the Motor Vehicle Department for completing the work.

The vehicles stranded in police stations include those abandoned by their owners after getting entangled in various cases and the ones attached by the court. The court had earlier given instructions to scrap vehicles entangled in cases at the earliest. 

Government departments and most of the Corporations (barring KSRTC) usually abandon their vehicles after 15-years of use. This time round, permission was sought for using undamaged vehicles for longer, however it was denied. 

Centre had announced an aid of Rs 100 crores to the states for discarding old vehicles. This will be sanctioned in instalments as per the progression of the works.