Echo of SC order on BSIII emission norms

Hundreds of Mysureans rushed to their nearest automobile showrooms yesterday as dealers offered huge discounts and a slew of freebies to clear leftover stock of cars and two-wheelers compliant with older BS-III (Bharat Stage III) emission norms.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court banned the sale of BS-III-compliant vehicles from April 1, dealing a Rs. 12,000 crore blow to the auto industry. Dealers were left with just two days to dispose of vehicles.

Many showrooms offered huge discounts from Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 20,000 per vehicle across their model range to clear pending stocks. However, in many  showrooms, prospective buyers went back disappointed as dealerships either ran out of stock or downed shutters following a rush. Sale of older vehicles is banned from today but there is no restriction on their registration.

Vehicle dealers said that it was like Deepavali rush where showrooms are flooded with customers. Along with walk-ins to the showrooms, dealers were getting continuous calls from customers who were looking to make a killing due to discounts.

Both the RTOs (East and West) in the city too witnessed heavy rush as people went there for registrations following the purchase. On any given day, the registration of vehicles would close by 2.30 pm. But yesterday, registrations went up to 5.30 pm. As per statistics provided by the RTOs, both the offices witnessed more than 2,000 registrations till 5.30 pm. There was rush for online registrations too that was open till midnight.

According to RTO sources, every day over 150 vehicles get registered in Mysuru at both the RTOs. Yesterday, the registration – both transport and non-transport vehicles – crossed the 2,000 mark. Following the rush, many showrooms in city had put up “No Stock” boards. According to Gautham, Manager of Urs Kar Service, in the last two days they managed to sell 50 TATA vehicles and there are still 30 vehicles to be sold.  These vehicles will be registered under company name and sold as used vehicles, he added.

What is BS?

BS actually stands for Bharat Stage — emission standards established by the Indian government to limit air pollutants coming out of internal combustion engines like those found in motor vehicles. BS regulations are similar to European emission standards and seek to curb emission levels from  vehicles.

The first emission norms in India were introduced in 1991 for petrol and the next year for diesel vehicles. In 2005 and 2006, BS III was rolled out. This was almost similar to European standards (Euro III) which was in place between 2000 and 2005 in most western nations. While India implemented BS III norms only in 2010, other developed nations had moved onto Euro 4 (Jan. 2005), Euro 5 (Sept. 2009) and Euro 6 (Sept. 2014). Each progression meant stricter emission norms. Now, BS IV will be in place for all new vehicles in India starting today (Apr. 1).