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MMRDA may set up plant to recycle unused vehicles that clog roads
With a number of old, unused vehicles eating up road space in the city, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is looking at setting-up a vehicle
With a number of old, unused vehicles eating up road space in the city, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is looking at setting-up a vehicle recycling plant.
The first-of-its-kind plant will be set-up for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, which, according to government data will have around 80 lakh unused vehicles by 2034. The MMRDA has floated bids to appoint a consultant to look at the project feasibility, assist the authority in bid management, and plan and execute the project. The recycled material can be used by metal industries, thus, generating revenue for the authority.
The Central and state government have enacted acts that also provide guidelines on the life of a vehicle. Personal vehicles which are more than 15 years old and commercial vehicles, which are more than eight to 12 years old (depending on usage type of fuel), have to renew their registration at the regional transport office (RTO). “Most old vehicles lie abandoned on eithersides of the roads, in other parking places or RTO offices, eating up the city’s infrastructure,” said a senior MMRDA official, who did not wish to be named.
The disposal of some vehicles is also undertaken in the unorganised scrap material sector, which does not adopt environment-friendly disposal methods, the official said.
AV Shenoy, a transport expert from the Mumbai Mobility Forum, a city-based think tank, welcomed the move. “This is a long-standing need of the city, considering the large number of vehicles scrapped every year. Earlier, people used to use cars for a long time, for 20-25 years. However, now the vehicles are scrapped much earlier, in 12 to 15 years. Recycling scrap scientifically is environment-friendly. Most advanced countries have such vehicle recycling plants in every major city,” he said
