Piaggio pleads for rethink on BSIV auto permits

Hyderabad: The Indian subsidiary of Italian auto major Piaggio has urged the Telangana government not to issue 20,000 new permits for BSIV auto-rickshaws for the capital city Hyderabad at a time when new emission norms are set to come in place. In a letter to the state transport and home minister Mahmood Ali, Piaggio Vehicles requested the K Chandrashekar Rao government to consider advanced electric autos or BSVI 4 stroke vehicles for permit issuance as it will help in reducing the city pollution.

"The issuance of any new order of BSIV permits will lead to an increase in emission especially when electric autos are being given in many cities and also when BSVI implementation is just a few months away," the company said in the letter. The new vehicle norms, Bharat Stage-VI, are to come into place from April 1 next year and the domestic auto industry has been gearing up for its seamless implementation.

Currently, the air quality of Hyderabad is in the range of satisfactory to moderate and air pollution will increase further, if proper measures are not taken, it added. According to Piaggio, if the new permits are given to advanced e-autos or better fuel-efficient and technologically advanced 4 stroke BSVI auto-rickshaws there will be less pollution on the city's roads and air index can be maintained.

Later, after submitting the letter, Piaggio Vehicles' Zonal manager Raghava Rao said, as per the central governments mandate by April 2020 everyone needs to be BSVI ready and permitting the new batch of 20,000 BSIV 3 wheelers is nothing but going one step behind. "We feel that the government should reconsider their decision and give permits to electric vehicles or 4 stroke BSVI vehicles as new technologically advanced vehicles will help in curbing the increasing vehicular pollution and can act as best alternatives to BSIV three-wheelers," he added.