Stalemate over ban on BS-III vehicles continues

NEW DELHI:The stalemate over the decision to ban registration of BS-III emission variant vehicles in the National Capital Region from April 1 continued on Friday, with the Supreme Court-appointed Environment Pollution Prevention and Control Authority (EPCA) and automobile manufacturers failing to reach a consensus.

In a meeting on Friday, the EPCA reprimanded major automobile manufacturers for remaining adamant on their stand that abiding by any cut-off date was difficult as it will take time to clear their inventory.

Manufacturers said it was difficult to set a time frame by which they would exhaust their BS-III emission compliant stock of commercial vehicles and three-wheelers.

There was confusion over figures provided by Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers in this regard. However, the companies, including Tata and Ashok Leyland said they would stop the manufacture of such vehicles by April 1 to ensure the countrywide roll out of BS-IV norms.

The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers had in the last EPCA meeting claimed that going by present rate of sales, on March 31, there would be 45,000 three-wheelers, 75,000 commercial vehicles, 7.5 lakh two-wheelers and 20,000 passenger vehicles.

However, it has now emerged that the figures, especially that of three-wheelers, had the data of Bajaj included in it. Bajaj has submitted to EPCA that it has exhausted its BS-III stock and is ready to abide by the April 1 cutoff date, which essentially brings down the BS-III inventory of three-wheelers to 25,000.

EPCA chairman Bhure Lal and member Sunita Narain, however, made it clear that the Supreme Court-appointed body would soon spell out the final word .It has asked for last three months’ data from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan on pollution control certificates and the failure rate of vehicles opting for tests, within a week’s time.

MANUFACTURERS SAID IT WAS DIFFICULT TO SET A TIME FRAME BY WHICH THEY WOULD EXHAUST THEIR BSIII EMISSION COMPLIANT STOCK OF COMMERCIAL VEHICLES AND THREEWHEELERS

HT FILE The EPCA reprimanded automobile manufacturers for remaining adamant on their stand that abiding by any cutoff date was difficult, as it said clearing their inventory would take time.