Pune: Two new vehicle scrapping centers to come up in the city soon

Within the next two to three months, two vehicle scrapping facilities in Pune are expected to start operations after receiving approval from the state transport department.

This development comes after the 2021 national vehicle scrapping policy, which aimed to establish state-approved scrapping facilities.. However, only three of the twelve facilities that were originally planned in Maharashtra have been created; they are situated in Nagpur and the Jalna area.

The state transport commissioner, Vivek Bhimanwar, confirmed the upcoming opening of the vehicle scrapping centers in Pune. Two centers have been identified and within two to three months, the vehicle scrapping procedure would begin, he stated.

While acknowledging that no official correspondence had yet been received from the transport department, Pune’s Deputy RTO Swapnil Bhosle assured that the RTO will keep an eye on the new centers. “A 10% tax concession on the new vehicle will be given to anyone who wants to scrap their vehicle,” Bhosle added.

Another RTO official acknowledged the public’s reluctance to scrap their vehicles, pointing out concerns about the reliability of scrapping processes and the potential misuse of old vehicles. “Currently, the number of people coming to the RTO to scrap their vehicles is low. People have several apprehensions, including whether the scrapping centers will do a correct job and whether their old vehicles won’t be used for ulterior purposes. With the government-approved centers, there will be full monitoring of the whole scrapping process,” the official explained.

The RTO official emphasized the advantages of recycling outdated automobiles for the environment, especially commercial cars that are over 15 years old and must be disposed of. Although it is not mandatory, private vehicle owners are urged to recycle their old cars or choose to re-register them with a five-year green tax.

“People should come forward to scrap their old vehicles and refrain from using them due to environmental issues. With the opening of these two centers, we will ensure that they are well advertised and maintained,” the RTO official added.