Letters: A wake-up call

With reference to A K Bhattacharya's thought-provoking piece, "No good economics or politics" (January 11), it goes without saying that stalling the introduction of better emission standards may prove self-destructive for the country. One fails to comprehend the rationale behind the Indian automobile industry's move to go slow domestically even when it has been exporting a significant number of vehicles to several markets where safety and emission standards are vastly superior to India's. What makes the industry think differently when it comes to complying with emission standards in the country is anybody's guess.

However, the indifferent and lackadaisical attitude of the Indian regulatory authorities regarding setting some reasonably determined deadline to reduce the dangerously high pollution levels and its impeded implementation undoubtedly add fuel to the fire.

The writer is absolutely right when he points out that India has the dubious distinction of having as many as 13 of the world's top polluted cities led, of course, by Delhi. The situation is most likely to turn worse as the huge growth in the number of vehicles on Indian roads would eat into whatever little success the nation might have achieved by bracing itself for its "cart-ridden" journey into this era.

I fully endorse his views that if Indian oil refineries can make a huge investment with limited scope of recovering that cost through higher prices, why shouldn't the Indian automobile industry, too, worry less about the additional costs it might incur - despite enjoying unlimited scope of recovery thereof - in making the vehicle engines compliant with improved quality of fuels?

The industry must fulfil its corporate social responsibility and the regulatory authorities should also rise to the occasion in the interest of the country. This could be a wake-up call for all concerned. As an old adage says, a stitch in time saves nine.

S Kumar New Delhi

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