Bharat in Stages – Supreme Court attacks pollution

The sudden launch of BS IV, and announcement of launch dates for BS VI have cleared the air like never before!

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Bharat in Stages – Supreme Court attacks pollution

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Supreme Court bares its fangs: The Supreme Court banned the sale and registration of BS-III vehicles from April 1, 2017. Vehicle manufacturers, both four-wheelers and two-wheelers, were stuck up with over Rs. 12,000 crore worth of junk inventory. An estimated 8.2 lakh old units faced either exports or scrapping, as it is not possible to convert these old vehicles into BS-IV vehicles.

Playing games: Vehicle manufacturers had actually ramped up productions, and had sought the Court’s nod to dispose of existing stock, which the Court refused. Even the government had backed the companies. The Court decided that health of citizens was more important than commercial interests, as BS-III vehicles could further aggravate the already deteriorating air quality (Delhi has been the most polluted city in the world).

A lone exception: Except Bajaj Auto, all companies, including their association – Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) – opposed the plea for banning the sale of their stocks and sought a period of 6-7 months to sell the stock. They seemed certain they’ll get it. They didn’t.

Amicus Curiae: Advocating a complete ban, the amicus curiae (impartial adviser to the court) said that BS-IV trucks are 80% cleaner than BS III and allowing their sale would mean that they would continue to pollute the environment for the next couple of years.

What are the Bharat Stage norms: BS (Bharat Stage) emission standards are emission standards instituted by the government of India to regulate the output of air pollutants from internal combustion engines, including vehicles. European regulations based standards were first introduced in 2000, which were made more stringent since then. The first emission standards were introduced in India in the year 1991 for petrol and 1992 for diesel vehicles. These were followed by making the catalytic converters mandatory for petrol vehicles and the introduction of unleaded petrol in the market.

Facts and figures: We now take a look at some facts regarding Bharat Stage norms, and Air Pollution. Also, download PDFs on BS norms from here (go to Environment tab)

A great polluter: India’s auto sector accounts for about 18% of the total CO₂ emissions in the country. Currently, there are no standards for CO₂ emission limit for pollution from vehicles. Similarly, there is no provision to make the CO₂ emission labeling mandatory on cars in India.

Deep Dive : Read more on pollution here. Watch videos on environment here.

Do check out exams-focussed Confidence Booster series of learning resources, here!

Some images for data and facts are presented below, for your reference.

Take a look at the basic understanding of air pollution :