Govt’s first Scrap Mela to sell disused vehicles yields Rs 35L

Panaji: State govt was able to sell its scrap vehicles with a 60% increase in the total valuation of 142 scrap vehicles. Govt, through its first ‘Scrap Mela’ organised at Porvorim, sold 71 four-wheelers and 21 two-wheelers belonging to Goa police and generated a revenue of Rs 35 lakh.
Of the 142 vehicles scrapped by govt, 14 were below the lifespan of 15 years and the remaining were above it. A senior govt officer said that vehicles below 15 years can be resold, whereas those above 15 years have to be sent to a registered vehicle scrapping facility (RVSF).
Forty bidders participated in the auction held on Wednesday, and six bidders participated from across the country representing RVSFs. “The total offset price of 142 vehicles was estimated at Rs 22 lakh, but govt earned Rs 35 lakh through the auction,” a senior govt official said.
State govt will organise two more ‘Scrap Melas’ at Margao and Mapusa to dispose of off-road govt vehicles related to different departments that are 15 years old.
TOI had reported that govt will conduct on-site auctions of its inoperative vehicles. Chief minister Pramod Sawant had said that dates would be announced two days prior to an auction.
As a one-time measure, govt wants to streamline and fast-track the disposal of its off-road vehicles lying at various locations across the state. Govt intends to undertake a massive disposal exercise for the old vehicles. These vehicles not only occupy space but also bring bad repute to govt departments due to the non-disposal on time.
The present policy of the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) to dispose of govt vehicles is time-consuming, as each vehicle — based on the request of a department — has to be examined by the committee constituted by the corporation.
To avoid this lengthy process of disposal of off-road vehicles, it was proposed that all vehicles be disposed of at ‘Scrap Melas’ to be organised at various places in the state on a schedule set by govt.
At the melas, all such off-road govt vehicles which are to be disposed of, as decided by the GWMC’s condemnation and evaluation committee, shall be brought to a single location, and spot quotations will be taken from the prospective bidders in a sealed box.
The salient features of the melas include the finance department seeking data on off-road govt vehicles along with relevant details, which are to be shared with the GWMC’s committee for condemnation. Each department shall appoint a nodal officer for the disposal of vehicles.