Phase-out of 15-year-old vehicles: State to move SC against HC ruling

Kolkata: The state Transport department will move the Supreme Court seeking an extension of the Calcutta High Court’s direction for phasing out 15-year-old vehicles in the Kolkata Metropolitan Authority (KMA) area.

The state will urge the Apex Court to extend the deadline to 20 years. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi will plead on behalf of the

state government.

According to the official, the state will argue that it will be unfair to phase out 15-year-old vehicles if it is found to be in good condition.

“Such an order of phasing out vehicles once they attain 15 years is only for the KMA area and Delhi and there is no such order in any place in the country. We will point out that there can be a provision for a health test of a vehicle attaining 15 years of age and if it is found that the same is in good condition and pollution level is not of much concern, it can be allowed to run on the road as it is or even with modifications if needed,” the official said.

City Suburban Bus Service has recently written to the state Transport minister and Principal Secretary of the department urging for enhancement of age limit of buses from 15 to 20 years.

“After 2021, the registration of new Bharat Stage IV buses was ceased permanently and a new upskilled variant namely Bharat Stage VI has took to the market which results in much less pollution. Rather than scrapping buses, switching over to higher and better fuel can also be done. Moreover, the number of buses plying in the road, at present is around 4000 dropping from 10000 odd over the years and hence the pollution level has come down,” Tito Saha of City Suburban Bus Services has stated in his letter.

He added that they were also preparing for a legal battle in this matter.

As per estimates of the state Transport department, 1500-odd vehicles will phase out by the end of 2025 for attaining 15 years of age. The state government is hopeful of receiving full support from the private bus operators in its legal path.

The state Transport department in the last five years since 2019 has registered nearly 1400 buses. The department is expected to procure another 265 buses that include AC, non-AC as well as CNG in the next 4 months with an investment of around Rs 150 crore.

It was on July 31, 2009, when the Calcutta High Court had directed the Transport department for phasing out vehicles attaining 15 years.