Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Commerce and Transport Department has directed all government departments to phase out and scrap vehicles over 15 years old by October 15.
There are 6,241 such government vehicles.
In a letter to addressed to Additional Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, and Commissioners-cum-Secretaries of all departments, the department stressed that these vehicles must be scrapped at Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facilities (RVSF) as mandated by Odisha Motor Vehicles (Registration and Functions of Vehicle Scrapping Facility) Policy, 2022.
Currently, Odisha has two such facilities, located in Khurda and Chandikhol. A third facility is expected to be established in Rourkela soon.
It further stated that about 4,000 government vehicles had already been scrapped by March 31, earning the state Rs 300 crore in special assistance from the Union Ministry of Finance for Capital Investment. “Government departments play a crucial role in this process. The ministry of road transport and highways is actively monitoring the number of vehicles being scrapped through the VAHAN database,” it added.
According to sources, Odisha police’s motor transport department has the maximum of 1,483 old vehicles, followed by 1,189 in the home department.