Bengal govt starts scrapping old vehicles to replace them with EVs

In a sweeping move towards modernisation and sustainability, the West Bengal government has announced plans to retire nearly 22,000 government vehicles over 15 years old — including 700 police vehicles — replacing them with sleek new electric vehicles (EVs) as part of a green initiative to electrify the state’s fleet.

A senior official said every department has been asked to provide the vehicle and registration numbers of old vehicles slated for replacement. The list includes all types of vehicles, from small four-wheelers to sedans.

The decision follows a tragic incident last week, when the pilot car of Trinamool Congress MLA Saokat Molla, over 15 years old, suffered a brake failure and collided with a motorcyclist, resulting in the latter’s death.

“Some departments have already started procuring new vehicles, with a strong emphasis on EVs this time,” said the official.

The vehicles to be scrapped include 698 police vehicles, 481 from the transport department, 710 from various state-owned organisations, and about 19,793 from other departments including Public Works, Panchayats, Public Health, and Technical Services.

Alongside private vehicles being seized for being unfit, government vehicles are also being systematically cancelled. Many decommissioned cars are currently stored in government depots and open spaces and will be scrapped gradually.

If the Supreme Court extends the 15-year limit for vehicle use, the state government will decide whether to put some of these vehicles back on the road. For now, the scrapping process is proceeding in compliance with the court order.

With IANS inputs