 "Pawan Goenka")
A day after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) decided to ban registration of new diesel vehicles in Delhi, India’s biggest manufacturer of diesel passenger vehicles, Mahindra & Mahindra, expressed shock and concern over the move.
The Mumbai-based manufacturer of Scorpio, Bolero and XUV500, whose 99 per cent of passenger vehicle volumes come form the diesel segment, also claimed that there was a “strong anti-diesel lobby” in the country.
Pawan Goenka, executive director, M&M, said, “I was shocked and concerned by this development. The fact that Delhi has air quality issues is undisputed. But one cannot agree whatever NGT is doing. Diesel emit more PM (particulate matter) than any other. (But) we need to look at it (pollution) in a holistic manner.”
Officials from various automotive companies and their apex lobby body Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) slammed the NGT’s decision.
“One of the biggest causes of air pollution is construction. Then why not ban construction too, that will improve air quality. As an engineer, I understand I cannot be swayed by unquantified statements. I believe all the hard work by engineers to make vehicles cleaner has just been thrown out of the window,” added Goenka.
According to SIAM, it was improper to stigmatise diesel technology based on misinformation spread by interested lobbies. It is true that diesel emits more PM than any other fuel but petrol is equally worse in CO2 like NOx is in CNG.
“Passenger vehicles contribute only four per cent of PM in Delhi and of this 85 per cent is coming from pre-BS4 engines.....Our only appeal is that NGT looks at the data and then take a decision. I don't want to think that NGT thinks in a biased manner. The auto industry has not been involved in any deliberations with NGT,” added Goenka.
According to industry data quoted by Goenka, PM went down by 82 per cent and NOx 52 per cent when the market switched to BS-IV from BS-III. PM will further go down by 80 per cent and NOx by 36 per cent when the industry switches to BS-V in 2019. Diesel emits 20 per cent lower CO2 than petrol as per data shared by Goenka.
Abdul Majeed, partner, PriceWaterhouse, said, “Though this decision is welcome, steps, which one takes should be sustainable covering all industries, including automotive. In India, awareness is also one of the weak areas when it becomes to emission and here too all stakeholders need to work together.”
Buyers in Delhi who have already booked a diesel vehicle and awaiting registration are the worst hit by this move. “We are very confused. We (M&M) do not know what is to be done in Delhi. Many customers who have bought vehicles I do not know what happens to them,” added Goenka.
Roughly Delhi accounts of seven per cent of passenger vehicle sales in national sales. For M&M, Delhi accounts for only two per cent of its total PV sales, which is all diesel. It has four-five weeks of inventory in Delhi.
Goenka added it would be SIAM which would move courts against this NGT decision if there is a unanimous decision to appeal against it.
