Online Petition requesting our Government to protect the Automotive Heritage of India:

India’s Heritage comprises architecture, buildings, paintings, arts & crafts, dance forms and includes important examples of our automotive history represented by historic cars, motorcycles, scooters and mopeds.  These are an inseparable part of our society and culture having played a long role in the history of India and its people. Motor vehicles have been a part of our childhood in some form or the other. Many such vehicles have been lovingly cared for decades by families, who still cherish them as “family members”.

The recently proposed scrappage policy, fee revisions and fitness policies may result in these loved family members, an integral part of our history, being permanently taken away from us.

We humbly request our Government to change the following four aspects of the proposed policies, which will help preserve our heritage without affecting the Government’s laudable objective of reducing pollution and stopping unsafe vehicles from regularly plying on public roads.

1. Exempt vintage vehicles from requirements of emission, fitness and pollution norms, which are applicable to modern cars.

Vintage vehicles were conceived, built and used regularly in another time and place, much before contemporary stringent emission and fitness rules were applied. Vintage Vehicles are important milestones in the historic evolution of technology. Expecting them to comply with currently applicable emission norms and fitness requirements is unreasonable and unrealistic.

2. Self-Certification for purposes of registration or renewal of registration of a Vintage Vehicle will eliminate unnecessary middlemen and simplify processes.

The draft notification proposes the constitution of a committee with private individuals as members, to accept or reject an application for registration of a Vintage Motor Vehicle. This will slow down the process, add unnecessary red tape and provide scope for influence peddling and corruption by middlemen. Self-Certification of the particulars of the vehicle, with an indemnity bond, would suffice for an application for registration. If the Government trusts citizens to self-certify their income tax returns (for example) there is every reason to accept Self-Certification as a trouble free and trustworthy process for declaring relevant particulars to obtain registration of a vintage motor vehicle.

3. Remove the proposed restrictions on the use of vintage vehicles

The number of vintage vehicles is a tiny fraction of the total number of registered vehicles and would be an insignificant proportion of the total vehicles plying on public roads. Enthusiasts who maintain and use these vehicles often restrict their usage to the minimum required to preserve them in good working condition. Further restrictions are quite unnecessary as vehicles will suffer due to lack of use.

4. Allow vintage vehicles at least 30 years old from the date of manufacture to be registered as vintage vehicles.

Vehicles older than 30 years are milestones of Indian industrial heritage and have shaped and participated in the growth of our nation. Most such surviving vehicles continue in the loving ownership of dedicated enthusiasts, who care for and keep them in good condition at personal expense. These constitute a tiny percentage of the total number of registered vehicles and contribute virtually nothing to the problem of automotive pollution. There is a strong case to preserve these historically important vehicles for the sake of our future generations and ensuring that our automotive history is not lost forever. Doing so will not impact the government’s laudable objective of implementing a scrappage policy to reduce air pollution.