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Setting Out

  • 29/11/2001

Setting Out since the release of the environmental rating of the automobile sector by the Centre for Science and Environment several people have told us that it must have taken some courage to rate the auto sector, which is headed by some of the most powerful industrial stalwarts like Rahul Bajaj and Ratan Tata.

We had never thought on these lines. On the contrary, we found the industry extremely docile and cooperative.

Consider this. First, the automobile industry shared data with us that they don't even share with the various agencies of the government. We asked companies to send us the specific emissions of their vehicles and produce emission certificates from the Automotive Research Association of India (arai) for each vehicle that we were rating. This data, we know, is never shared. Certainly, the arai refuses to part with this information even to the Central Pollution Control Board (cpcb) considering it private and confidential. We have always remarked that this is private information collected in public interest. But the public is kept in the dark.

Secondly, Tata Engineering (telco), with which our Right to Clean Air Campaign has had a running battle for the past four years, participated willingly and with interest in our environmental performance rating exercise. Our relationship with telco has not been very genteel. Not only has telco taken potshots at us, we have also not hesitated to give it back. The problem has been telco's interest in diesel based vehicular technology and our efforts to reduce the use of diesel to clean up the air of Delhi.

It is clear to us that though the civil society is still very weak on pollution related issues, this situation will inevitably change as noxious fumes grow around us. In many cases, the interaction between the civil society and industry will be confrontational as they have often been across the world. But, as this exercise shows, there can also be spaces where the interaction can be more cooperative.

In fact, we believe our effort will provide critical help to the industry to develop an environmental vision and strategy. The detail with which we have studied the automobile industry will help industry owners make much better decisions in the future. This is the first comprehensive green audit of the sector. Our experience with the green rating of the pulp and paper sector was that our rating helped the company management to get a perspective, perhaps for the first time, of just what is needed. And because we place high standards

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