Good bye toll booths. GPS-based toll collection is what’s on the Center’s mind!
First they introduced FasTag, now it's this. Well, put out more EV's and we're in the future.
The Minister for Road Transport & Highways along, Government of India, Mr. Nitin Gadkari has just announced that within a year, all the toll booths from the Indian roads will be removed, and be replaced with the GPS-based tech.
However, should the new system be foolproof and work, it could be a blessing in disguise for all those who cross borders almost every other day. The current situation at the various toll booth in India is less than ideal – there are too many lanes with no proper checks, the scanners don’t work, and as a result, in some cases, the vehicle owner pays the toll in cash, while the money is already deducted from their FasTag.
Then again, the issue of privacy is still a matter of huge concern. Moreover, imagine the amount of taxpayer’s money that will go into the R&D of this soon-to-be-implemented system.
Nonetheless, to shift our focus a bit, the new Scrappage Policy by the GOI aims at increasing the costs of registering a vehicle that is older than 15 years to a ludicrous amount which will come into effect by October this year.
According to the info, owners of a car will now have to shell out INR 5,000 to renew their car’s registration after 15 years. Important to know that the current rate is INR 600, only. Similarly, owners of the imported cars will have to spend INR 5,000 for registration, while the renewal costs are near the INR 40,000 mark.
As per the Government, the hike is planned in a manner to stop people from keeping their old vehicles. Explain to me one thing, but – if the said ‘old’ car is still in mind condition, has been regularly serviced, and doesn’t produce as much pollution as expected, why do they still spend such a big amount?
In the case of private vehicles, RC renewal is required every 5 years after 15 years and if the registration certificate is a smart card-type, then get ready to shell out INR 200 more for issuing it or renewing it. I guess, the Government certainly wants to keep your papers handy, no?
The list/apparent nonsensical-changes don’t end here – fail to renew the registration, you’re looking at a penalty of INR 300-500/month for the private vehicles. However, there is a silver lining here – once you do get your older vehicle scrapped, you get a Certificate that entitles you to an incentive on buying a new vehicle.
Your thoughts on this?
