Important to phase out pre-BS 2 vehicles in India: Road transport secy Anurag Jain

There is a need to phase out vehicles that are BS 2 or pre-BS plying on Indian Roads, Anurag Jain, Secretary of the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, has called for the scrapping of vehicles manufactured before 2000, when Bharat Stage (BS) emission norms were not yet implemented. Highlighting the environmental and safety risks, Jain stressed that older vehicles contribute significantly to pollution.

He said that the Idea is just in its initial stages and there is no official discussion around it. "There is no policy change that the government is thinking about. I just pitched the idea to the auto industry during a recent public event because its important to discuss" he said.

"Vehicles from before 2000 have an emission rate 15 times higher. Do you think such vehicles should continue to run given the pollution issues we're facing?" Jain remarked, urging the public to consider the long-term consequences. The BS 2 Vehicles have emission levels at 7 to 8 times.

He emphasized that older vehicles not only lack modern safety features but also incur higher fuel and maintenance costs. "There has been significant improvement in vehicle safety over the last 15 years. Scrapping old vehicles brings safety benefits and fuel savings," he said.

Jain also mentioned ongoing efforts to incentivize the scrapping of outdated commercial heavy vehicles, which are seen as particularly problematic. "We are working on incentives to encourage vehicle owners to scrap older models, ultimately improving safety and reducing emissions."

Bharat Stage norms, comparable to Euro emission standards, were first introduced in 2000. By 2001, BS-II norms were enforced in major cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata.