The Punjab government has introduced a new law making it mandatory to scrap end-of-life vehicles as part of its efforts to curb vehicular emissions and improve air quality across the province.
Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan promulgated the Provincial Motor Vehicles (Third Amendment) Ordinance, 2026, which came into effect immediately as the Punjab Assembly was not in session. The ordinance amends the Provincial Motor Vehicles Ordinance, 1965, by introducing a new chapter that defines end-of-life vehicles and sets out mandatory scrapping requirements.
Under the new law, a vehicle will be classified as an end-of-life vehicle if its registration has expired or been cancelled, it fails mandatory fitness or emission tests and cannot obtain the required certificates, or it has suffered irreparable damage due to fire, accidents, natural disasters, or other calamities and is declared scrap by its owner.
The ordinance also allows vehicle owners to voluntarily send their vehicles to authorised scrapping facilities. Scrapping includes depollution, dismantling, recycling, recovery of reusable parts, and crushing non-reusable components for recycling.
Owners will be required to dispose of end-of-life vehicles through authorised private scrapping centres or facilities established by the Punjab Transport and Mass Transit Department. The provincial government has also been empowered to frame rules for implementing the new system.
According to the statement of objects and reasons, the ordinance is aimed at strengthening air quality management by reducing emissions from old and unfit vehicles. The government said the new legal framework will also support Punjab’s transition towards electric vehicles and environmentally friendly public transport.
Detailed implementation rules, including vehicle age limits, fitness and emission testing procedures, and the responsibilities of authorised scrapping centres, will be notified later. The policy is expected to impact both private and commercial vehicle owners while encouraging the growth of the vehicle recycling industry in Punjab.
