Zero in on the Actual Malady
ANOTHER YEAR HAS JUST FLOWN BY AND WE ARE ALREADY IN 2016. THE
Indian car market showed signs of growth in 2015.
The Supreme Court ruling in Delhi banning the registration of new diesel cars and SUVs
with engine capacity of 2,000 cc and above does not seem to be the right decision. There is a desperate need to check emission levels in the capital city but I don’t think this is the solution, for new cars are not the problem as they meet all the emission norms and are less polluting unlike their older siblings.
The pollution from cars is just a small part of the problem as dust from the road and
construction is a bigger issue. The pollution in Beijing is as bad and they prefer petrol cars to diesel ones, which means petrol cars should also be banned. Fuel companies have to be made accountable to improve the quality of fuel and a crackdown on fuel adulteration, which is the bigger problem, is also necessary. It doesn’t matter if your car is BS IV, V or VI compliant, it will pollute if the fuel quality is poor. The tax concession for sub-four-metre cars is fl awed; instead they should lay down a benchmark for tailpipe emissions and fuel effi ciency. The manufacturers who are capable of bettering the benchmark should be given a tax break, whatever the size of the car.
The authorities should improve the infrastructure and the public transport system instead of banning cars. Car manufacturers are a soft target, especially the big-capacity cars and SUVs. Whatever happens, it is the chap with the big SUV who is at fault, be it a road accident or emissions. The number of big SUVs is miniscule compared to the small diesel cars and, last but not least, is that diesel engines are 25 to 30 per cent more efficient compared to their gasoline counterparts.
ASPI BHATHENA EDITOR
