APSC EI: Enforcement of Vehicle Emissions Standards

Standing Committee on the Implementation of Emission Legislation (SCOE)	Central Motor Vehicle Rule – Technical Standing Committee (CMVR-TSC)
Chairman: Joint Secretary, MoRTH	Chairman: Joint Secretary , MoRTH
Members: Test agencies, SIAM, TMA, MoPNG, MoHI, MoEF, others	Members: Test agencies, SIAM, ACMA, TMA, MoHI, BIS, others

Limit values for new vehicle emissions standards are first proposed by the Standing Committee on Implementation of Emission Legislation (SCOE), which is composed of representatives from the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), MoHIPE, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), and various emissions testing agencies (such as the ARAI and ICAT). The joint secretary of the MoRTH is the chairman of the SCOE. Proposals are then sent to the Central Motor Vehicle Rule – Technical Standing Committee (CMVR-TSC) for finalization. Rules come into effect with the approval of the proposal by the secretary and the minister of the MoRTH. The CMVR-TSC is composed of representatives from the MoHIPE, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA), SIAM, and various state governments and testing agencies. 

While the Air Act, 1981 and Environment Act, 1986 specifically mention The Central Pollution Control Board and State Pollution Control Board’s roles in setting environmental standards, it is ultimately the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) that is responsible for enforcing compliance with India’s vehicular emission standards. This is because the MoRTH is responsible for enforcing the Motor Vehicles Act, 1989, which specifically assigns the central government the responsibility of regulating vehicle emission standards.

While the MoRTH sets norms for in-use emission standards, individual states and municipalities are responsible for enforcing them. Another diversion of responsibility is with the national agencies that conduct type approval and COP testing. These agencies are under the management of other ministries rather than the MoRTH. For example, two such agencies, the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) and the International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT), the primary passenger vehicle testing agencies, are managed by the Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises (MoHIPE).