Mahindra Transport Excellence Awards

The seventh edition of Mahindra Transport Excellence Awards reflected on industry performance, and vehicle end-of-life.

- Anirudh Raheja

Honouring the unsung heroes of the Indian road transport ecosystem, the seventh edition of the Mahindra Transport Excellence Awards turned out to be bigger and better. Marking the inclusion of SCV, LCV and ICV stakeholders, the awards were supported by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Seeking the diligence of over 50 jury members, the awards, expressed Anand Mahindra, Executive Chairman, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., are gaining in stature and prestige. The awards ceremony, held on March 07, 2018, at Delhi, begun with a panel discussion on the commercial vehicles ‘end-of-life’ in India. The panelists comprised of Y.S. Malik, Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Prof. G. Raghuram, Director, IIM Bangalore, Rakesh Batra, Partner, Automotive Practice, EY and Vinod Sahay, CEO, Mahindra Truck and Bus and Construction Equipment Division. Kicking off the discussion, Y S Malik, highlighting certain statistics, stated that there are close to four million BSI, BSII and BSIII CVs on Indian roads. “Looking at the overall gains, whether it is an individual operating that vehicle or a manufacturer, there has to be a win-win situation for all, and in the case of fuel consumption as well as emission norms,” expressed Malik. Sharing an anecdote, he drew attention to a hand written letter to the prime minister by the daughter of a truck driver who owned a 15 year old truck. The letter, said Malik, contained a query about the government’s plan to scrap old CVs since their livelihood depended on it. In the letter, Mentioned Malik, the girl expressed fear about she and her sister losing out on education since their father will not be able to pay the fees.

Social angle to CV scrappage