Vinod Dasari denied that SIAM has sought any deferment or delay in the implementation of BS IV emission norm
Days after Bajaj Auto managing director Rajiv Bajaj launched a no-holds-barred attack on rivals and for trying to delay the implementation of BS IV emission norms deadline, the industry body Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) has hit back.
Without naming Bajaj, SIAM president Vinod Dasari in a statement said that 'misinformation' is being perpetuated by 'certain sections of the society', especially the environmental activists that auto industry is at present not fully prepared to comply with BSIV norms.
"The statements suggesting that the auto industry wants to delay or postpone the emission norms are, hence, totally false and deliberately designed to malign the name of the auto industry and stigmatise the industry which is well recognised as a champion in nation building and a main contributor to the Make in India effort of the PM of India," Dasari said in a statement.
He denied that SIAM has sought any deferment or delay in the implementation of BS IV emission norm.
Rajiv Bajaj during a hurriedly called press conference in February had vented his ire on rivals, industry body and government. Mincing no words, Bajaj lambasted his rivals for seeking to exploit a technicality and extend the April 1 deadline for the implementation of the new norm. He said that while companies like Bajaj Auto and Toyota-Kirloskar Motors want all vehicles registered from April 1 to be BS-IV compliant others want vehicles produced from April 1 to be covered under the new norms. "SIAM is planning on sending a letter to the EPCA seeking an extension to the deadline. We don't want to part of that letter," Bajaj had said.
Dasari said the Indian auto industry has been the fastest in the world to upgrade its emission norms. While Europe took 13 years to implement the Euro 4 stage, the Indian industry took only 10 years to introduce BSIV emission norms, which were first introduced in 2010. Therefore, the industry has been manufacturing BS IV compliant passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles since the year 2010. "Subsequently, pan-India BS IV norms for vehicles had been delayed due to the non-availability of BS IV fuel across the country, forcing some categories of four-wheeled vehicles to remain at the BS III stage until April 1, 2017, when all India BS IV norms will become applicable to all vehicles manufactured from that date," he said.
According to SIAM Indian auto industry will also be the first in the world to leapfrog from BS IV to BS VI Emission norms in a short period of three years by 2020, while even the developed countries took about 10 years and also progressed stage by stage without any leapfrogging.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Auto industry")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}