Govt mulls deferring deadline to scrap two-stroke autorickshaws

The transport department is likely to defer the April 1 deadline for phasing out 1,000 two-stroke autorickshaws as drivers are reluctant to scrap their vehicles for a 'meagre' Rs 30,000 subsidy.

The state government's move to ban the two-stroke engines follows directions from the high court to the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board to check the city's air pollution.

The government had set aside Rs 30 crore in the 2017-18 budget towards the distribution of Rs 30,000 per vehicle to phase out 1,000 two-stroke autos.

To get the subsidy, auto drivers had to scrap their two-stroke vehicles and produce the certificate from impound centres. Most of them, though, felt the subsidy is inadequate, especially given that investment for a new vehicle runs up to lakhs.

"Till date, we have received just one application at the Jayanagar RTO and two or three at the Rajajinagar office. We have written to the government to extend the deadline by a year," a senior RTO official told DH.

Transport secretary B Basavaraju said they have written to the finance department for extending the deadline. "The finance department will take a decision (on our request)," he said.

The transport department had also recommended to the finance department to hike the subsidy  to Rs 50,000 - as demanded by the auto drivers - to retrofit two-stroke vehicles, and Rs 1 lakh for new electric vehicles.

"However, we were told that a decision will be taken after the state comes up with an electric vehicle policy," a source in the department said.

Studies estimate that two-stroke autorickshaws, which burn a deadly blend of lubricating oil and petrol, are 10 times more polluting than the four-stroke variants.

Bengaluru is estimated to have more than 30,000 two-stroke autorickshaws and it would take years to off-road them, given the sluggish pace in the effort.