NEW DELHI, May 12: The government has termed as "misleading" claims of automobile companies that their cars conformed to Euro-II emission norms saying its testing agencies were yet to give such certification to any manufacturer.It said the manufacturers' claim was based on models of cars picked from their principal's existing range which was already meeting the norms. On the basis of these models, some of the companies were making claims that they would meet the Indian standards. These are quite different from the Indian scenario where our manufacturers have to develop an engine technology as well as process technology, the government said.Daewoo Motors had claimed that Delhi government had granted registration of its vehicles without any restrictions as they complied with Euro-I and Euro-II norms.The government said the process of certifying that a particular vehicle complies with certain norms required that prototype of the vehicle was first tested at either of the two government institutionsnamely Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), Pune and Vehicular Research Development Establishment (VRDE), Ahmednagar, Gujarat."After the prototype is tested and approved, the manufacturer is permitted to commence production and release the vehicle in the market, which takes about four to five months " it said. After commercial production starts, further random sampling is done in order to test conformity of the production as per the type approval.Unless and until norms of Euro-II or similar norms are notified under the CMV rules along with the testing procedures, the authorities would not be in a position to issue the certificate that the vehicle conform to Euro-II or equivalent norms, the petition said. "It is only after undergoing these and other formalities that requisite certificate is issued," it said.The government said the earlier norms notified by the transport department was to come to effect from April 1, 2000, of which the Supreme Court was informed by an affidavit of theenvironment ministry in November 1997. "Since the apex court had not preponed the date nor had it asked for preponing the date, it will be impossible now to ask the industry to prepone the date at a shorter notice without giving them sufficient time to adopt the new requirements," the government said.The Union government and Maruti Udyog Limited (MUL) have moved the Supreme Court seeking more time for implementation of the apex court's order on strict emission norms, albeit on different grounds.Supreme Court today said that the two applications moved yesterday along with that filed by the Delhi government would be heard on Thursday. The three member bench, headed by chief justice A S Anand, fixed the hearing after additional solicitor general Kirit N Raval mentioned before the court about the applications.In its application, moved by Sanjeev Sen, MUL said that though the company would comply with Euro-II emission norms by stipulated April 1, 2000, it was impossible to conform to Euro-I standardsbefore June 1, 1999.Though welcoming the apex court's order, MUL said it would take six months to import the components from Japan and then it could slowly indigenise these. Union of India in its application said the Supreme Court order could not be implemented in such short time as there were only two testing agencies in India.MUL, which has about 80 per cent market share in the Indian car market, said that it was following the notification of surface transport ministry of 1997 for conforming to Euro-I emission norms by April 1, 2000 for indigenous production of the components (multi point fuel injection system).Maintaining that the court order had come suddenly, the 50:50 joint venture company between the government and Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) of Japan said, ``neither components can be indigenously produced nor can be imported (by June 1, 1999).''MUL said cap on registration of vehicles at 1500 per month in the national capital region from June 1, 1999 on conformity with Euro-I emissionstandards fixed by the apex court was based on erroneous figures and pointed that it alone was selling 8,000 vehicles every month in Delhi. It said that it was fully prepared to adjust its schedule to comply with Euro-II norms by April 1, 2000.The company mentioned that a four year time period was given in European countries to adopt to the Euro-I norms while another four years was given for Euro-II norms and said that same time frame was required in India.
