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I have to admit, I like Jairam Ramesh. Our Union Environment Minister likes to take on the establishment, tell them when they are wrong and deny industry a chance to make fat profits if he feels it is at the cost to the environment or the local populace. He is the kind of activist politician who probably has more enemies than friends, but doesn't blink when told so. But last week he made a statement that made my virtual Jairam Taj Mahal collapse like a pack of cards. He made the kind of statement that isn't exactly irresponsible, but ill-informed.
Am sure, you know what I am talking about - his take on SUVs. He says that SUVs in India are criminal. Fine, he's right, as long as his reference is limited to dubious politicos and criminals hopping on them. But oh no, he made a blanket statement and in just that one fell swoop he has made the entire middle and upper middle class take potshots at him on "the social networks, poll meters on news websites and even made the SIAM wear Kevlar layered Jairam proof vests.
So why do I think Jairam Ramesh is wrong? To begin with, the modern day SUV is designed to be more forgiving to the environment and the modern diesel engine has come a long way in becoming efficient, score far lower emissions and are overall less damaging to the environment than ever before. But aiming the shotgun on SUVs is easy, even seasoned western world politicans have made the mistake and have had to cower down to populist policies. But Mr Ramesh needs to know more.
The rising SUV culture in India is a result of two factors - growing Indian affluence and lack of credible roads beyond the highways and arterial roads of urban India. As the average Indian wallet gets fatter, so is his ambition to flaunt his wealth and we are doing it no differently from any of the other fast emerging economies nor are we doing it any different from the western world when their economic supremacy left us in awe. It is human nature to go for bigger, better, bolder cars when the times are good - it's simply because man feels if he can afford it then why not. Then, there's Indian infrastructure, which let us admit has yet to catch up with the pace of our automobilisation. Large families who were once stuck in cramped Omnis, archaic Ambassadors or tinny Sumos want to travel in comfort and not reach their destination feeling all sore - even that is basic human need Mr Ramesh. The market logic is that most sedans (note here most, not all) don't have the kind of ground clearance to tackle bad roads which SUVs do. If Mr Ramesh still has a problem with that, there is a Ministry of Surface Transport and Highways whose doors he should knock.
And as long as these two factors exist, people will buy SUVs. But if Mr Ramesh still wants to cleanse the system, then have his colleagues from the Ministry of Heavy Industries and his very own ministry offer sops for cleaner SUVs. After all, he would needs to know that it costs anywhere between 80 to 120 million euros to knock of one gm/km off a global auto company's overall CO2 rating. To ask the industry to bear the cost entirely would mean to make personal mobilisation far more expensive than it actually is. Go ahead and tell auto companies that they'd get a something point something percent excise duty benefit or complete waiver if they made a hybrid SUV or an electric one or something even cleaner. Encourage fuel saving and environment friendly technologies and the industry will be more than glad to work on it. Do all of that, Mr Ramesh to begin with, and I assure you that you will find your respect restored, in the eyes of many Indians, including myself.
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