To Protect What?

A 1.5km stretch between Andheri and the Western Express Highway in Mumbai guzzles fuel worth Rs 33 lakh a day because of severe traffic jams. If the energy expended in this stop-and-go city driving were converted into electricity to charge the electrical engine of say, a Honda Hybrid (that claims to have a 47 per cent efficiency), we would save approximately 28,200lt of petrol (or Rs 15 lakh) a day, in that stretch alone.

But the government's anticipatory protectionism attitude slaps a 104 per cent tax on the import of completely built unit (CBU) cars making them inaccessible to the average person. This is done in hopes of enticing car manufacturers to set up plants in the country, hence bringing in the technology. Others are of the view that the anticipation really is that local players will develop their own technology and then should be provided an uncompetitive market.Until now, lobbying by small fries such as electric car company Reva sought no response. With the rising oil prices, in a country that uses as much as 315 crore litres of petrol a year, and pressure from heavyweights waiting to tap into the Indian market along with bodies such as Department of Heavy Industries one finally sees the government "responding positively". How soon action is taken is yet to be seen.

The Delhi government, of course, says that they wait to be apporoached by alternate vehicle manufacturers to spur adoption of such technologies. Maybe years spent debate could've been saved if Reva had invited Mrs.Dixit as chief guest earlier.