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Adopt green tech, govt tells oil and Euro-hit auto companies

The Indian automobile industry must come forward and take responsibility of setting emissions and safety standards for itself and not be dictated by the Supreme Court or the government in these matters, environment and forests minister Suresh P Prabhu said today.

Inaugurating a two-day conference on automobile and fuel technologies, organised by the Tata Energy Research Institute or TERI, Prabhu said the manufacturers should incorporate latest technologies, which are being sold in other nations, in the vehicles they make in India.

When global auto majors entered the Indian market, it was expected that they would bring in the latest technologies that reduce emissions and bring about higher safety on the road.

However, they had failed to deliver these environmental and social benefits. Similarly, the new oil refineries were not adopting the state-of-the-art technologies that produced cleaner fuels such as those with lower sulphur content.

Prabhu further added that soon the auto and oil companies would be required to carry out an environmental impact assessment.

They would be judged on the basis of how clean their products are and on the state of the technologies used as compared to the best available internationally.

Admitting that the fuel pricing policies of the government were partially responsible for the rampant fuel adulteration, he also stressed the need for a viable and adequate public transport systems in all urban areas.

Prof Y K Alagh, member of Parliament and former minister for power, science and technology said availability of water and rising air pollution would be most central concerns during the next 50 years.

"For ameliorating our air quality, it had to be determined as to where incentives and disincentives would work, where market mechanisms would function well, and where strict law enforcement had to take place. India had been groping with the question of environmental standards for the last 25 years and had yet not been able to notify those on its own for the auto sector. The ideal case would be where constant upgradation of technology and systems take place on their own without too much intervention from the government," he said.

Dr R K Pachauri, director, TERI exhorted the auto industry to develop its own set of standards with active co-operation from the government. This should reflect the ethical and social responsibilities that the corporate sector must undertake as citizens of our society. However, India does not reside in Delhi alone.

While a lot of attention had focussed on Delhi, other metropolitan areas with similar air pollution problems had been neglected. The air pollution problem had to look in its entirety and factors such as scrapping of old vehicles, cleaner fuels, accompanying institutional and regulatory framework, and an integrated transport policy had to be considered.

The conference hopes to create a consensus among the policy makers, the auto and fuel companies, and the general public on developing the most cost-effective and feasible strategies for ameliorating the air quality of our cities.

A long-term perspective of the auto sector, an overview of the regulatory and fiscal strategies to reduce auto emissions in urban areas, role of oil companies in reducing pollution, impact of Euro II norms on the transport sector and health impacts of air pollution are some of the topics debated.

Over 300 delegates from India and abroad have participated in the event. They represented the auto and oil industries, the policy-makers, regulatory bodies, the medical community, research institutions and consumer organisations.

UNI

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