NGT fines Volkswagen Rs. 100 crore for emission scandal

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked Volkswagen Group India to a fine of Rs 100 crore.

The NGT has imposed a fine with an interim amount of Rs. 100 crore on the German automotive giant in relation to the emission scandal. It is reported that currently, around 3.23 lakh VW vehicles on the road in India are running defeat devices in order to cheat emission test.

In 2015, it came to light that nearly all diesel-powered vehicles in the US from the Volkswagen Group were equipped with a software which would detect if the vehicle was being tested for emissions and change its actual performance during the test. 

VW paid billions of dollars in fines as directed by the legal system in the US and recall every faulty vehicle and compensate customers as well. Arguably one of the largest scandals ever has even forced the VW group to denounce diesel and realign their future business strategy towards electrified and pure electric vehicles.

Soon after the scandal came to light, Volkswagen India declared that their research found almost 3.23 lakh VW group vehicles are currently plying on Indian roads feature the said 'defeat device'. At the time of the announcement, VW India issued a recall, however, it is unconfirmed how many vehicles have been rectified till date. While the Volkswagen India website happens to have a Diesel Service Action tab that applies to EA 189 engines only that could be for this purpose. However, no official comment has been made by the manufacturer as yet.

Now the NGT has imposed a fine of Rs. 100 crore on the automotive group which is said to be deposited to the Central Pollution Control Board. The committee responsible in the investigation will evaluate the actual quantum of the environmental loss and submit a report within a month. Additionally, Tribunal has also asked that the company, as well as the petitioner, to plead their cases to the panel in the week with their contentions on the matter.