Given the grievous COVID-19 pandemic impacting the overall economic activities in the country, various industry organisations had sought government support by way of financial stimulus and other policy-related initiatives. The Ministry of Roads, Transport & Highways has floated a draft document for deferment of the BS (CEV/TREM)-IV emission norms which were to take effect on October 1, 2020 to October 1, 2021. A final decision will be taken after receiving suggestions from the stakeholders.

The automobile industry produced a total 26,362,282 vehicles including passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, three-wheelers, two-wheelers and quadricycles in April-March 2020 and in comparison, the Indian construction equipment industry sold 95,000 units during the same period. The collective impact of the entire construction equipment fleet in India would be just 3.6 per cent of the gross total units of the automobile industry along with the construction equipment industry. The objective with which the emission norms were set for pollution does not get served by getting the construction equipment industry adhering to the norms due to their low penetration.

The Vehicle Scrappage Policy on the other hand will provide fuel to this outcome by ensuring that vehicles which are old and therefore would be failing in their ability to reduce the pollution could be phased out. This would also provide a fillip to the CV industry as a whole, apart from contributing to bringing the cost of automobile units down due to the availability of recycling plants. Therefore, deferment of these emission norms at this juncture would be a wise move. 

Mobile cranes are the third-largest sold construction equipment type in India, after backhoe loaders and excavators. The market was growing consistently over the years, especially the pick-and-carry cranes, which constitute more than 90 per cent of the total mobile cranes market. The demand for pick-and-carry cranes is expected to continue due to the rise in the number of projects in different sectors. There is a gradual shift visible in the pick-and-carry crane models in terms of design and features to address the changing needs of the customers. Meanwhile, the medium and heavy-duty mobile cranes are also finding traction in view of the number of big projects in metro rail, expressways and bridges coming up. Once the market is recovered from the COVID-19 impact, there is expected to be a continuous demand for mobile cranes in these projects. The Cover Story shares more on the Mobile Cranes market, products and technology trends.

Mining is back in the headlines these days due to the reforms in mining policy and the government’s aggressive moves. The various measures taken as part of the reforms will give a chance for technology to excel in the mining process. Underground mining is gaining importance in the country as availability of coal is depleting in many surface coal mines and underground mining is the option to have more output. Though underground mining involves higher capital cost and more risk compared with surface mining, using suitable equipment and technologies, underground mining can be more efficient, safer and productive. The Feature explains more on underground mining and technologies involved. Also, read other regular features and updates on the industry.