SC seeks data on unsold BS-III vehicles

New Delhi, March 20 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Monday sought data on unsold vehicles which are Bharat Stage-III (BS-III) emission norms-compliant as the Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) sought to enforce a government notification prohibiting the sale of such vehicles from April 1.

Asking the Society of Indian Automobile Manufactures (SIAM) to get the figures of unsold BS-III emission norm-compliant vehicles from the automobile manufacturing companies, the bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra said it would decide on their pleas to allow the sale of BS-III vehicles beyond March 31 after examining the figures.

Senior counsel Harish Salve who is amicus curiae in the matter told the court that the 2015 notification clearly barred the sale of BS-III vehicles beyond March 31 and automakers were given enough time.

The court sought data on the unsold BS-III vehicles after automobile manufacturers opposed the EPCA plea for the enforcement of curbs on the sale of BS-III vehicles from April 1 this year. The EPCA had cited 2015 notification of the Road Transport and Highways Ministry backing its plea.

The ministry had in August 2015 said vehicles not conforming to BS-IV emission norms would be barred from being manufactured or sold after April 1.

However, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufactures and the automobile manufacturers contended that they could not be barred from selling their BS-III norm-compliant vehicles as they were permitted to manufacture them till March 31.

The manufacturers contended that the 2015 notification only said that they would start manufacturing BS-IV emission norm-compliant vehicles from April and they were permitted to manufacture BS-III vehicles till March 31.

The court fixed the next hearing for March 24.