SC-appointed panel seeks ban on BS-III vehicles

Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 23

Seeking a ban on registration of Bharat Stage-III emission variant vehicles, a Supreme Court-appointed panel has requested the top court to stop sale of such vehicles with outdated technology from April 1, 2017.

In a report filed in the Supreme Court, Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) recommended that only Bharat Stage-IV compliant vehicles should be rolled out.

Senior advocate Harish Salve submitted EPCA’s report before a Bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur and requested it to take a call on it.

The Bench asked Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) to provide BS-III stock the companies had as on December 31, 2015 and how many vehicles were manufactured thereafter and the sale on monthly basis up to date.

It asked SIAM to collect the information and file a comprehensive affidavit before August 24, the next date of hearing. In a meeting with EPCA, SIAM had claimed that going by present rate of sales, on March 31, there would be 45,000 three-wheelers, 75,000 commercial vehicles, 7.5 lakh two-wheelers and 20,000 passenger vehicles available for sale.