Will vehicles older than 15 years be taken off roads in Odisha?

Bhubaneswar: Clearing the air on whether vehicles older than 15 years will be allowed to ply on roads in Odisha, Commerce and Transport Minister Padmanabha Behera today said the decision lies with the Centre as per Section 59 of the Motor Vehicle Act 1988.

In reply to a question in the State Assembly, Behera said no decision has been taken by either the State government or the Centre on taking the vehicles older than 15 years off the road.

The Minister further said a total of 672 buses, 17,498 trucks and mini trucks and 23,904 four-wheelers including 450 passenger vehicles and 23,454 non-transport vehicles above 15 years old have been running on roads in the State.

The State government is yet to take any decision on two-wheelers.

Congress Legislator Tara Prasad Bahinipati in the House wanted to know whether the government has allowed buses and trucks above 15 years old to ply and how many such vehicles are still running on the road in the State.