The auto industry has not sought any deferment or delay in the implementation of the BS IV emission norms, says Vinod Dasari, Managing Director of Ashok Leyland and President of SIAM.

The auto industry is fully committed to commence manufacturing of BS IV vehicles from April 1, across the country.

Ask him what he thinks of the confusion over the implementation of the BS IV emission norms for the auto industry from April 1, he’s all enthused. “Many don’t know that the Indian auto industry is the fastest in the world to adopt both emission and safety regulations. We will move from BS IV to BS VI in three years; it took 10 to 12 years in Europe and America. Yet if there is congestion or pollution, first to get the blame is the auto industry. Here is an industry which is the epitome of ‘Make in India’. No country in the world has grown without the active support of the auto industry; take the US, Japan, Germany, China, the auto industry is important. But, in India everyone wants to beat up the industry.” Dasari points out that Leyland has been selling BS IV compliant vehicles from 2010. However, pan-India BS IV norms for vehicles had been delayed due to the unavailability of BS IV fuel across the country, forcing some categories of four-wheelers to remain at the BS III stage till April 1.

“But if you take a BS IV engine and put BS III fuel in it, which has 350 ppm vs 50 ppm of sulphur for BSIV, the system will clog. I feel the auto industry is doing so much for the country with more than 30 million jobs and nearly half the manufacturing GDP and aggressively adopting safety and emission norms and yet we become the favourite whipping boys; it’s my biggest dilemma as SIAM President,” Dasari said.

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