Manufacturers should take greater responsibility for fixing emission performance of their vehicles with regard to bringing down overall pollution levels. This responsibility should not be solely placed on road testing.
According to the New Delhi based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) research group, manufacturers should bear the responsibility of bettering emission performances of their cars in order to reduce vehicular pollution and not road testing. Post the shocking Volkswagen issue, experts have started dreading the complete negation of pollution control efforts even with investments in emission control systems in cars to meet stricter norms owing to lack of systems for monitoring emissions compliance. Volkswagen’s diesel cars were originally fitted with defeat devices for cheating on official emission tests.
The entire controversy was not quite noticed in Indian markets and there were only regular investigations. However, Volkswagen’s corporate fraud has also led to exposure of India’s emission regulations systems. India is quite vulnerable as it is rapidly dieseling without proper frameworks or compliance regulations in place for car makers as per the executive director at CSE, Anumita Roy Chowdhury. Vehicular pollution is a major problem in India and air pollution is the fifth biggest reason for the loss of numerous lives every year. Vehicles lead to high pollution exposure and emission monitoring from diesel vehicles is quite weak. Uncontrolled emissions of toxic particulates and nitrogen oxides can lead to serious problems. As a result, the PUC or pollution under control system needs to be overhauled. The present norms are quite lenient for diesel vehicles according to the CSE.
In cities like Pune, the entire situation has rapidly gone out of hand. CSE has raised doubts over the efficiency of the PUC. The present practices are not enough for addressing complex systems for controlling emissions in new cars. Technical flaws and frauds cannot be screened and detected. Poor testing procedures and lax norms were seen as major roadblocks to the functioning of PUC along with unsuitable enforcement. Norms for older Bharat Stage IV vehicles are deemed to be seriously lax. Petrol vehicles are tested for hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide while diesel cars are checked for just smoke density.