Owners of old cars in Delhi and elsewhere can now heave a
sigh of relief as the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has not endorsed
the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) order of banning more than 15 years old
vehicles. The Ministry examined the order and felt that the certificate of
fitness of vehicle, as per section 56 of the Motor Vehicles Act 1988, should be
implemented with regular checks. This will not only reduce the pollution but
also improve the road safety scenario.
This information was given by Minister of State for Ministry
of Road Transport and Highways, Pon Radhakrishnan in a written reply in the Lok
Sabha on March 12, 2015.
At present, the Ministry does not propose to mandate age
limit of private vehicles because this is a short cut approach and fitness
testing of the vehicles will prove whether the vehicles has reached its end of
life or not, he stated.
However, Sub-rule 1- 4 of Rule 88 of Central Motor Vehicles
Rules, 1989 (CMVRs) provides that, no national permit shall be granted in
respect of goods carriage, other than multi axle vehicle, which is more than 12
years old; for multi axle goods carriage vehicle which is more than 15 years
old and in respect of multi axle trailer approved to carry Gross Vehicle Weight
of more than 50 tons which is more than 25 years old.
Further, Rule 82 of CMVRs also provides that tourist permit
shall be deemed to be invalid from the date on which the motor vehicle covered
by the permit completes 9 years in the case of motor cabs and 8 years where the
motor vehicle is other than a motor cab, unless the motor vehicle is replaced.
Section 41(7) of Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 provides that the certificate of
registration in respect of motor vehicle other than transport vehicle shall be
valid for a period of 15 years.