Bangalore, July 01: Karnataka government today began a crackdown on old vehicles in Bangalore, banning their entry within the city limits amid opposition from goods vehicle operators. Groups of transport department personnel targeted vehicles 20 years old or more, as the state administration reiterated its resolve to strictly enforce the measure.
According to a government order, a fine of Rs 1000 will be imposed for the first offence, and Rs 2,000 for the second one. The vehicle is liable to be detained if the offence is repeated again.
The move, aimed at bringing down pollution levels in the garden city, has not come all of a sudden. The government had given a six-month notice.
Opposing the ban, Federation of Southern States Goods Vehicle Owner's Associations demanded that government withdraw the order, maintaining that from pollution point of view, it was the condition of the vehicles that mattered and not their age.
Arguing that the ban was "unreasonable", the federation's general secretary A P Shanmuga Sundaram told that the old vehicles could be given fitness certificate by transport authorities if those were eligible to ply on the roads.
The federation threatened to launch a strike by lorry owners of Karnataka if the order was not withdrawn.
Bureau Report