Need to address real cause of pollution: Auto industry

Automobile industry today welcomed the Supreme Court decision to lift ban on cars and SUVs with diesel engine capacity of 2,000 cc and above in the Delhi-NCR region.

The industry also said that efforts must be made to address the real cause of pollution instead of targetting a particular type of fuel.

Toyota and Mercedes-Benz, which had offered to pay 1 per cent green cess, insisted they made the voluntary offer in order to overcome the ban and "not on the premise that our vehicles are polluting the environment".

The Japanese auto maker insisted that its stand to hold back investments in India will continue till it gets a clarity on the future road map both from a court's stand point and government's policy side.

"Our vehicles meet every norms laid out in the country. We made the offer of 1 per cent green cess under duress. While we welcome the Supreme Court decision, we wish if only the Court did this earlier," Toyota Kirloskar Motor Vice-Chairman and Whole-time Director Shekar Viswanathan told PTI.

He further said the diesel fuel has been maligned and wondered if it has damaged the environment so much that it had to be banned.

When asked if Toyota would now reconsider its decision to hold back investments in India, Viswanathan said: "We will still wait for the final pronouncement. We will wait for a clear statement from the court and government on the road ahead for diesel fuel."

Echoing the view, Mercedes-Benz India said it had followed the earlier direction of the Supreme Court and filed an Interim Application seeking relief on the ban on its cars.

"Following the court suggestion, we as a voluntary interim measure, offered to pay 1 per cent of the ex-showroom price of the vehicle towards anticipated Environment

Compensation Charge as a deposit, and not on the premise that our vehicles are polluting the environment," the company said in a statement.

Mercedes-Benz had also said it was putting on hold its future investments in India in the wake of the ban on big diesel cars and SUVs.

Welcoming the apex court's decision, Mahindra & Mahindra Executive Director Pawan Goenka, said: "We are very relieved with the decision of the Honourable Supreme Court
today. Hope this decision will put all controversy surrounding diesel fuel behind us and we
will be able to focus on the more important task of making our vehicles compliant with BS
6 norms by April 2020."

Maruti Suzuki Chairman R C Bhargava termed the decision as one "which the entire industry was waiting for a long time".

"It's a welcome decision. It will end the suffering of companies who had been hurt the most by the decision. Besides, the anti-diesel sentiment will come to a stop now," he added.