India will not ban petrol, diesel vehicles |
Union road and transport minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said that Automobile industry must make the transition to cleaner sources of fuel at the earliest. Gadkari said there is a concern that the government will ban internal combustion engine ¬vehicles, but it is well aware of the contribution that India`s automobile industry is making to the country`s exports and employment. “There is speculation on banning the existing industry, but we are not doing it. We understand that it contributes to the country`s exports and employment, but the switch over must happen at the earliest and manufacturers must move to electric or biofuel.” Gadkari said the automobile industry, which is worth Rs 35.6 billion dollars, should move to adopting cleaner sources of fuel as pollution remains a pressing issue for the country. The adoption of electric vehicles by the common people will come as a natural progression, and automobile manufacturers may eventually find it unprofitable to make vehicles running on petrol and diesel. The automobile industry had also resisted the switch to BS¬ 6 pollution norms, but the government is bent on strict enforcement of the new norms. He added that the new BS 6 norms will be effective from April 1, 2020 at any cost.
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