Scrappage policy soon?

The recent announcement by transport minister Nitin Gadkari about scrappage policy has once again put the spotlight on the subject that has attracted much controversy from various quarters. Said to be pursued at the behest of automakers wanting to improve their sales and save their sagging bottomlines, the scrappage policy is claimed to accompany a framework to establish recycling clusters near ports much like those that scrap ships. The material achieved from scrapping vehicles is to be used to manufacture a variety of goods including automobiles.

Expected to be mandatory rather than be voluntary, the scrappage policy, mentioned a source under the condition of not revealing his name, is designed to make India the numberone manufacturing hub for automobiles in the next five years. Vehicles that would be powered by a variety of fuels like ethanol, methanol, bio-CNG, LNG, electric and hydrogen, he informed.