Tarun Karthick
Port Blair, 17 May 2024
Government of India has mandated that all government vehicles must be mandatorily scrapped 15 years after the initial date of registration. It was announced that the registration certificates of government vehicles older than 15 years would be automatically cancelled.
Nicobar Times has observed that several government vehicles belonging to different departments, which are much older than 15 years, are still in operation on the roads of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Such vehicles are not only prevalent in remote islands but can also be easily seen on the roads of the capital city of Port Blair without any hindrance.
On 15th May 2024, the Nicobar Times noticed an old APWD Truck bearing registration number AN886, carrying a load of plastic drums and plying on the main road near the school line, heading towards Dollygunj. The truck emitted a huge column of black smoke as it hurried towards its destination.
While private vehicles often face the wrath of traffic authorities for even minor violations, these extremely old government vehicles, which generate a lot of pollution and are possibly unregistered, go unchecked, and no fines are imposed on them.
Such old, polluting, and possibly unregistered vehicles belonging to the government should be impounded by the authorities immediately to keep our roads safer.