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Karnataka approves plan to scrap over 17,000 government vehicles older than 15 years
Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy says he will discuss with the home minister and transport department officials what action to take against private vehicles that are older than 15 years.
Reddy further said that 3,212 old buses had been scrapped by state transport corporations since April 2023 and that 579 more buses needed to be scrapped.
Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said on Wednesday that the Government had approved a plan to scrap government vehicles older than 15 years and that there were 17,059 such vehicles.
Responding to a query raised by Congress MLC Govinda Raju in the Legislative Council in Belagavi, the minister said that 18,552 government vehicles over 15 years old (excluding transport corporation buses) had had their registration cancelled by the Central Government on the Vahan portal as of December 4, 2025. Out of these, 1,493 vehicles have been scrapped at registered vehicle scrapping facilities, while 17,059 vehicles remain to be scrapped, he added.
Reddy further said that 3,212 old buses had been scrapped by state transport corporations since April 2023 and that 579 more buses needed to be scrapped.
When Govinda Raju asked about private buses and other private vehicles that are more than 15 years old, the minister said he would discuss the matter with the home minister and transport department officials.
“The Centre, which made it mandatory to scrap vehicles older than 15 years, introduced a relaxation: private vehicles can run for five more years after obtaining fitness certificates. However, the option was not provided for government vehicles,” he added.
Responding to a query from Congress MLC Ivan D’Souza, Reddy said it was a matter of concern that frequent breakdowns of electric buses supplied by the Central Government under the gross cost contract (GCC) model had led transport corporations to reduce trips.
Reddy said these buses performed poorly when compared to diesel buses, adding that he had written to Union Minister for Heavy Industries H D Kumaraswamy regarding the electric buses.
“There are 1,957 e-buses in the state, and the number of breakdowns reported is above 14,000. Most of the breakdowns were related to battery performance. While electric buses are eco-friendly, they have come with their own problems,” he added.
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