Twitter
Advertisement

Rajiv Bajaj fumes over BS-IV norms deadline extension talk

Bajaj Auto and Toyota-Kirloskar Motors want all vehicles registered from April 1 to be BS-IV compliant

Latest News
article-main
Rajiv Bajaj
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

Rajiv Bajaj is livid that he is among few auto players ready to roll out stringent BS-IV emission norms by the scheduled deadline of April 1.

On Wednesday, the managing director of Bajaj Auto called a media interaction to vent 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.

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.

"Companies like us which have already invested heavily in making vehicles BS-IV vehicles compliant stand to lose on account of passing increased cost of production to the customer. While those companies which are dragging feet and delaying it are not only getting price advantage but also spoiling the environment," said Bajaj.

As per industry estimates, the new norms would lead to increase in production cost of smaller vehicles like two- and three-wheelers by Rs 1,000-7,000 and around Rs 1 lakh for cars, buses and trucks.

Bajaj said rival CEOs claim in media interviews that their inventory is just of 4-5 weeks as per the global standard.

"If the inventory is of around 4-5 weeks then it should still get exhausted before the scheduled deadline of April 1. But the fact is these companies want to push the BS-III vehicles into the market as much as they are able to. The BS-IV norms were announced years back and these companies should have moulded accordingly in the past one year," Bajaj said.

Asked about the industry concern over the slowdown in inventory consumption due to the effect of demonetization, Bajaj said, "Agree that demonetization brought down the business during November-December but it has since picked up since January – still three months before the deadline to finish the inventory."

On Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), Bajaj said, "SIAM should not always cuddle and love but also push the industry into deeper seas for learning like good parents." He SIAM was planning on sending a letter to the EPCA seeking an extension to the deadline.

On Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Rajiv said he is not able to read its silence on the issue. However, Sugato Sen, deputy director general of SIAM said that the association has not sought any such extension since it has already been decided that the norms will apply for vehicles manufactured from the first day of the next financial year , BloombergQuint said.

So what will he do if the government gives a breather to the industry?

"We will be able to do nothing as we can not go back to old technology. But it will leave a bad precedent."

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement