Alappuzha: A vehicle whose roadworthiness certificate expired six years ago continues to rust away on the premises of the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) office, largely due to the authorities’ reluctance to sell it off as scrap. Although tenders were floated three times to auction the vehicle, the process was scrapped each time after the bids failed to meet DTPC’s expected price, despite drawing considerable interest from buyers.

Left in the open near the district office, the vehicle is now in an advanced state of decay. Council officials abandoned the old vehicle entirely once a replacement was acquired. While selling it off at whatever market rate it could fetch would have brought in some revenue, the DTPC’s rigid stance has ended up causing total loss of value.

The vehicle falling apart today once ferried visitors, including international tourists arriving in Alappuzha. Currently, the DTPC deploys a mini-bus for tourists alongside an official car for administrative duties.

Local autorickshaw drivers point out that the overgrown brush surrounding the junked vehicle has turned it into a haven for snakes and other reptiles. Moreover, because this defunct vehicle hogs the parking shed near the district office, there is no space left for functional fleet. Consequently, the newly acquired mini-bus is routinely parked along the roadside, narrowing the street and causing traffic bottlenecks.