The new Bharat Stage IV emission norms will be implemented in India from April 2010. These norms will be implemented first in 11 major cities of India and then in the rest of the country in stages. According to the new norms, most of the automobiles with old engine configuration like in M800 will not be sold in these 11 cities.
The automobile industry has urged the government to postpone the implementation of the BS IV norms in India till October 2010. According to Pawan Goenka, President, Society of Automobile Manufacturers, upgraded quality of fuel may not be available in all parts of the country by then. "SIAM has already made representations to the government that implementation of the new emission norms be postponed by 3-6 months in regions where fuel is not available,” Mr Goenka said.
He also stated that the clarity of issues is urgently needed by 31st January as most of the automobiles will shift to new engine and it will be difficult for them to revert to the older emission norms. While 11 cities in India move to BS IV norms asking for better quality of engine and upgraded quality of fuel, the rest of the country moves to BS III norms equivocally. All engines confirming to these norms will need upgraded quality of fuel by then. Although most of the refineries have in India have been upgraded for better fuel quality, some of the refineries in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh etc. still need to undergo the changes.
In fact, oil companies have now indicated that the supply of the improved fuel may be delayed, thus causing further complications for the implementation. How this will pan out remains to be seen in the next days.
