The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has banned the registration of all two-wheelers in the capital, which do not follow BS-IV emission regulation norms, starting 1 April 2016. Interestingly, the order only prohibits registration of these vehicles and doesn’t completely ban them from plying on Delhi roads, which means that people will still be able to buy the affected two-wheelers outside the national capital.
Although the order had come out almost two months ago, two-wheeler manufacturers are finding it difficult to update their products in a short period of time. This is because these manufacturers spend years in research and development of their upcoming two-wheelers and hence changing their engine altogether needs time.
The Royal Enfield Himalayan was launched recently, and had generated a lot of excitement, but since it wasn’t BS-IV compliant, it will not go on sale in Delhi.
In Delhi, as of now, the Himalayan is not being registered as the NGT decision came in last minute. It is available in NCR for test rides and bookings. We are working with the authorities to resolve this situation along with several other manufacturers who are facing the same issue.Siddhartha Lal, MD & CEO, Eicher Motors
Royal Enfield isn’t the only affected company. Suzuki’s new Access 125 and the Bajaj V15, which were recently launched, will not be going on sale in Delhi. Companies like Honda already have BS-IV compliant offerings in their stable, like the CB Hornet 160R.
It remains to be seen whether any changes are effected in the NGT order to help the two-wheeler manufacturers who will be impacted.
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