Hyderabad: The Budget proposal to scrap vehicles as old as 20 or more years and used for domestic purposes, and commercial vehicles that are 15 and more years old, has drawn protests here. It is part of the government’s initiatives to control air pollution and give a fillip to the automobile industry.
According to the Federation of App-Based Transport Workers, more than 30 lakh commercial vehicles in Telangana state, which also include auto-rickshaws, will be affected. The Telangana Auto Union JAC said that of the 1.2 lakh auto-rickshaws in the state, half were more than 15 years old. This decision, these outfits alleged, was aimed at helping automobile companies earn more profits.
Used-vehicle dealers felt that the government plan is unjust. Most middle and lower middle class families can only afford to buy used vehicles of around ten years old and are kept by them for many more years, they said.
Sandhya Rani, a school teacher, and her husband who is a private job…