SIAM organises International Conference on IMDS and ELV

With a focus on sustainable material management and environmentally safe disposals, Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) in association with Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF & CC), Government of India and Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA), organised a day-long conference titled, “International Material Data System (IMDS) and End of Life Vehicle (ELV) Regulations”.

The conference is a first-of-its-kind initiative focussing on sustainable management of materials, tracking of hazardous chemicals, heavy metals, Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) etc. and to minimise their negative effects on the environment and human health. The data provided on the above will facilitate the automotive sector, regulatory agencies, R&D institutions and ministries to engage in further discussions, negotiations and actions under the Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, for which MoEF & CC is a nodal agency.

In his welcome address, Vishnu Mathur, Director General, SIAM, said, “There is a need to institutionalise automobile recycling in India and figure out methods to dispose of ELVs in an environmentally sound manner. The purpose of this conference is to increase our knowledge, create awareness, capacity building and gain insights about IMDS and its regulations.”

Suggesting measures that can help to improve the air quality in India, Mrs Rashmi Urdhwareshe, Director, ARAI, asserted, “We need an integrated approach towards clean air. Fleet modernisation can improve air quality. Private car electrification and the banning of old vehicles are some of the solutions we can look at. Road & public infrastructure pose a serious concern that must be addressed appropriately. There should also be a control on the number of unused vehicles. There are 35 million vehicles plying on roads that have already exceeded the age of 15 years and manufacturers must start using materials that are reusable, the government should announce the ELV policy at the earliest and the ministry must notify AIS 129 standards immediately.”

Stressing on the alarming rates by which vehicles are increasing on the roads and the serious pollution levels caused by them, Dr Bhure Lal (IAS), Chairman, EPCA, said, “While talking about ELV Regulations, we must consider the sustainability of ecology and environment. We need a policy in place to discard old vehicles as it could pose difficulty in future for humans.”

Source: SIAM