Allaying the fears of car manufacturers, the Centre told the Supreme Court on Monday that the 19 crore vehicles running on Bharat Stage III (BS-III) fuel would not become redundant with the upgrade to BS-IV fuel.
The BS-IV emission norms are scheduled to come into force on April 1.
The Centre’s submissions before a Bench led by Justice Madan B. Lokur indicated that there would be no objection from its side to the registration of the unsold stock of over eight lakh BS-III vehicles.
The court is monitoring the alarming air pollution levels in the national capital region.
Solicitor-General Ranjit Kumar pushed for the new fuel, saying it was “cleaner” and oil refineries spent about ₹30,000 crore since 2010 to produce it. Noting that the government was “not wishing away all BS-III vehicles from the roads”, Mr. Kumar submitted that even vehicles using BS-III fuel could switch to the BS-IV model, he said.
The court was hearing pleas by automobile manufacturers seeking clarity on the future of their stockpile of 8.2 lakh BS-III vehicles.
