- Hearing not possible before 31 March
- Dealers left with huge inventories of BS4 vehicles
- Deadline to clear BS4 stock ends on 31 March
The BS6 deadline is not likely to extend further from 31 March 2020 as the Supreme Court has turned down the plea made by Federation of Automobile Dealers Association (FADA). A bench comprising of Supreme Court Justices, Arun Mishra and MR Shah, stated that no hearing was possible before March 31.
FADA had approached the apex court to request an extension of BS6 deadline for an additional two months. The association stated in their plea that there has been a drastic drop in the business across the dealerships due to the Coronavirus. The situation is not likely to get better any time soon, and a lot of cities are planning partial shutdown. Thus, many dealers are left with huge, unsold BS4 inventory. Regular followers of the auto industry would know that dealerships cannot sell BS4 compliant products after 31 March 2020.
While new cases of COVID-19 have come down drastically in China, the virus is spreading rapidly in other parts of the world. The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in India, as on 19 March 2020, stood over 160 patients. Italy is among the worst hit countries, and manufacturers like Ducati have temporarily stopped production at their factory in Bologna, Italy.
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