NEW DELHI: Holding on to your over 20-year-old vehicle will now cost more as the govt has doubled the fee for renewal of its registration. As per the new rule, renewal of registration of over 20-year-old motorcycles and cars would cost Rs 2,000 and Rs 10,000, respectively. The charges for renewal of registration of vehicles that are more than 15 years old but have done less than 20 years remain unchanged.
The move to increase fees for registration of older vehicles is aimed at disincentivising people from retaining those manufactured before the BS-II emission norms came into force.
Though the road transport ministry, in its draft notification issued in Feb, had proposed higher renewal fees for commercial medium and heavy vehicles that are over 15 years old -- Rs 12,000 and Rs 18,000, respectively -- different transport organisations had opposed the move. Considering their views, these two categories have been put under a broader group, with the charges for renewal of their registration being Rs 12,000.
The ministry had also proposed to double the renewal fees for registration of commercial medium and heavy vehicles that are over 20 years old to Rs 24,000 and Rs 36,000, respectively. Sources said this proposal has been put in abeyance and the govt will take a call on it at a later stage, given that commercial passenger and goods vehicles are the bigger polluters.
The changes have been notified barely a week after the Supreme Court barred the authorities temporarily from taking coercive action against owners of petrol vehicles over 15 years old and diesel ones over 10 years old in Delhi and the National Capital Region. Sources said whether vehicle owners in NCR get the benefit would depend on the final judgment of the apex court.
Sources also said that the ministry will soon come up with a new fee structure for fitness test of different categories of vehicles, as the number of automated fitness test stations increases across the country.
Earlier, the All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC), an organisation of truckers and transporters, had opposed the proposal of “sudden and excessive hike” in fitness test fees. It had sought withdrawal of the draft notification regarding the proposed increase in fitness test fees.