Government takes a U-turn; Recalls not mandatory for defective vehicles

The government of India has taken a U-turn on a proposal in which the vehicle manufacturers have to recall their cars in case of any defective cases.

This news was confirmed by the Minister of State for Heavy Industries G M Siddheshwara. In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, he said that the government was not considering bringing a legislation to make vehicle recall mandatory if 100 or more people complain about a particular defect in any vehicle model. Incidentally, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in the draft Road Transport and Safety Bill 2015 had proposed a mandatory recall policy for vehicles, keeping the safety of vehicle users in mind.

It is still not clear why the government body doesn’t want to pass this rule because the entire decision will be left with the companies. Earlier, the draft bill had also proposed that the company should be liable to pay for the damages to the consumers. For now, the companies have been voluntarily recalling vehicles in case of defects. But we would really appreciate it if a governed body controls this safety aspect because in the end it is the consumers who will be greatly affected by it.