Representative image.

NEW DELHI: Reconciling it’s difference with environment ministry on banning sale of of non-BS VI complied vehicles from April 1, 2020, the petroleum ministry has virtually changed its stand and told the Supreme Court that manufacturing of BS-IV vehicles be banned and not their selling after the deadline when the cleaner fuel will be made available across the country.

TOI had first reported on July 24 on how the two ministries of Central government— environment and petroleum—were clashing in court on the issue by taking a contradictory stands. Ministry of petroleum and natural gas contended that not only manufacturing but sale of BS-IV be banned from April 1, 2020 after rolling out of BS-VI fuels but the ministry of environment and forest (MoEF) had been consistently taken a stand that automobile companies should be allowed to sale BS-IV vehicles till end of June for two wheelers and four wheelers and upto September for heavy motor vehicles.

In its fresh affidavit, the petroleum ministry said that the road transport ministry had notified that the manufacturers would be allowed to sell the BS-IV compliant vehicles even after the deadline and the same should be followed. It said that ministry’s earlier stand “was in view of the huge investment made by public sector oil marketing companies”.

“This ministry has considered the notification issued by ministry of road transport dated February 20 on teh issue of manufacturing and registration of BS IV motor vehicles. Since the said notification is currently in force and it was a statutory notification issued in exercise to statutory power, this ministry is of the view that action on manufacture and registration of vehicles will presently be governed as per the provisions of the said notification,” the petroleum ministry said in its affidavit.

The petroleum ministry, in its earlier affidavit, had even hinted that cut off date to stop manufacturing of BS-IV vehicle should be preponed to ensure that automobile running of polluting fuels are not sold after March 31, 2020.

“The Public Sector Oil Marketing companies are investing approximately Rs 28,000 crore for up gradation of refineries for supply of BS-VI fuels. This investment is being made to upgrade the fuel quality for better environment. The environmental benefits of BS-VI fuels are only marginal if it is used in BS-IV or lower vintage vehicles. If sale of BS-VI fuel vehicles is allowed after April 1, 2020. the environmental benefits in terms of reduction in particulate matter emission, NOx emission etc is only marginal in spite of huge public investment. Hence sale of BS-VI non-compliant vehicles should not be allowed after March 31, 2020,” ministry of petrolium had said.

The environment ministry had earlier told the apex court that manufacturing of BS-IV vehicles be banned and not their selling after BS-VI norms comes in force to allow automobile manufactures to exhaust their stocks.

“It is submitted that the cut-off date for rolling out BS-VI vehicles shall be in reference to date of manufacture and not date of registration as indicated in the ministry of road transport and highway notification. That the previous experience with respect to rolling out of BS-IV from April 1 as per the direction of the court, which directed ban not only manufacturing but also registration of already manufactured BS-III vehicles against the notification which created a scenario of regulatory uncertainty and misperception,” the ministry had said in its affidavit.

“If the date of shift to BS-VI becomes date of registration then it would actually reduce the time available to industry for manufacturing to a mere two years or so although BS-VI fuel will not be available across the country till April 1, 2020. This will necessitate preponing the date of making BS-VI fuel available at a much much earlier date. It may also be difficult to have zero stock of BS-IV with dealers on March 31, 2020 as sales cannot be predicted in advance,” the affidavit had said.

