No grace period will be given to the carmakers regarding the implementation of BS6 norms
Supreme Court in its recent judgment made it clear that BS6 norms will be implemented from April 1, 2020 without any delay. The court confirmed that no BS4 car will be sold or manufactured in the country after this date. The judgment was given by Justice Madan B Lokur, who was heading a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court.
When BS6 norms were put in place it was decided that India would skip BS5 and jump straight to BS6. Car manufacturers were left strained due to this decision from the court.
Vehicle manufacturers had asked the judges for a grace period. Their request was to allow them to manufacture BS4 cars until March 31, 2020 and to sell the remaining BS4 stock until June 30, 2020. However, The judges denied their request.
Oil companies are also feeling the heat of impending BS6 norms. As they will have to refine their fuel to meet the new guidelines.
In recent years India has become a major contributor to air pollution in the world. The top 14 most polluted cities in the world are from India including Delhi, Kanpur and Gurugram. Pollution levels reach above safety limit during the winter season due to Smog. As a result, the implementation of BS6 norms seems crucial in today’s scenario.
A lot of car manufacturers have no BS6 compliant vehicles in their lineup except BMW and Mercedes. On the side of motorcycle makers, Bajaj is getting ready to bring BS6 compliant motorcycles as soon as possible. Due to the court’s judgement, we can expect all vehicle manufacturers in India to comply with BS6 norms before April 2020.
BS6 Norms
– India decided to skip BS5 in 2016
– Car manufacturers asked for a grace period after BS6 norms deadline
– Supreme Court denied their plea due to rising pollution levels
