📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / MaplesyrupSushi
Automobile
Punjab to Set Up 15 Scrappage Centres to Retire 300,000 Old Vehicles
✍️ Amar Ujala · Punjab
🗓 22 Aug 2026, 11:33 AM
👁 3
A recent study recommends establishing fifteen vehicle‑scrappage facilities in Punjab to dismantle around three lakh ageing cars identified as super‑emitters.
A research report released this week highlights the urgent need for Punjab to develop a network of fifteen dedicated scrappage centres. The facilities would target roughly 300,000 vehicles that are more than two decades old and have been classified as "super emitters" due to their high pollution output.
The study estimates that dismantling these ageing automobiles could cut particulate matter and nitrogen‑oxide emissions significantly, contributing to the state's air‑quality improvement goals. It also outlines a phased rollout, beginning with pilot centres in Ludhiana and Amritsar, before expanding to other districts.
State officials have welcomed the findings, noting that the proposed centres would create jobs in the recycling sector while aligning with national clean‑air initiatives. Funding mechanisms are yet to be finalised, but the report suggests a mix of state budget allocations and private‑sector partnerships.
If implemented, the scrappage programme would mark one of the largest vehicle‑retirement drives in India, setting a precedent for other states grappling with similar emissions challenges.
The study estimates that dismantling these ageing automobiles could cut particulate matter and nitrogen‑oxide emissions significantly, contributing to the state's air‑quality improvement goals. It also outlines a phased rollout, beginning with pilot centres in Ludhiana and Amritsar, before expanding to other districts.
State officials have welcomed the findings, noting that the proposed centres would create jobs in the recycling sector while aligning with national clean‑air initiatives. Funding mechanisms are yet to be finalised, but the report suggests a mix of state budget allocations and private‑sector partnerships.
If implemented, the scrappage programme would mark one of the largest vehicle‑retirement drives in India, setting a precedent for other states grappling with similar emissions challenges.