Auto makers demand ban on 15-year-old vehicles to cut pollution

New Delhi: Auto industry body SIAM on Thursday asked the government to ban vehicles that are 15 years old in the country to reduce pollution.

The industry body urged the government to come up with a legislation to ban such old polluting vehicles across the country.

"Auto industry is doing a lot of work to reduce pollution. We are working to move to BS-VI emission norms. In order to reduce pollution, we request the government to ban vehicles which are 15 years old," SIAM President Vinod K Dasari said here.

Speaking at the annual convention of SIAM, he also asked the government to create a national automotive board and to increase design capability which would aid Make in India programme.

Dasari also said the auto industry has been going through one of the most challenging and disruptive times due to frequent changes in policies for the sector.

He said every developed country has a strong automotive industry and India must look to strengthen the sector, which on Thursday accounts for nearly 50 percent of the country's manufacturing GDP.