All India Bus Body Builders Association Facilitate Newly Elected Members of Parliament
All India Bus Body Builders Association, a newly formed self-regulatory body formed by bus body builders across the country, organized a facilitation ceremony for newly elected members of Parliament in New Delhi.
In an attempt to draw the Government of India’s attention to the quandary facing the unorganized bus body building industry in India, the newly formed All India Bus Body Builders Association held a felicitation ceremony of the newly elected Members of Parliament on June 27, 2019.
Held at The Lalit, New Delhi, the function was presided by Hon. MPs — G S Damor, (Ratlam), Mahendra Solanki (Dewas), Nand Kumar Chauhan (Khandwa), Shanker Lalwani (Indore), Dhal Singh Bisen (Balaghat) and Sandhya Rai (Bhind) along with representatives from all major bus body builders from the states of Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and New Delhi.
A self-regulatory body, the All India Bus Body Builders Association includes numerous body builders from across the nation and works towards safeguarding the interests of small-scale bus body building firms operating in the unorganized sector.
“The chief objective of the convocation today, along with the felicitation ceremony, is to make the Government of India and the concerned authorities aware of the problems that the small-scale bus body body builders are facing in the country today,” Shiva Narayan Sharma, MD, Sanatan Bus Body Builders, Indore, stated addressing the conclave
While we appreciate the government’s concern about road and passenger safety and agree to commit ourselves to this noble endeavor, we would like adjure for more transparency in the procedure and safeguard our interests as well as the future of our industry,” he adds.
The bus body building in India is in the throes of an intense upheaval.
It’s been almost 4 years since the Government of India and the Automotive Research Association Of India (ARAI) mandated the use of the Code of Practice for Bus Body Design and Approval (AIS 052) in April 2015.
Yet confusion pertaining to the implementation still seems to plague the industry across the nation.
At the ground level, the lack of an effective communication exercise from the authorities’ end is highly apparent, with smaller builders still utterly uncertain about the requirements and the process of accreditation.
While the bus body building code was implemented to ensure that buses are built in accordance with the stipulated standards of safety, design, and comfort, the step was also expected to give SMEs across the nation a major boost.
These stringent regulations were also expected to dictate a close working relationship between OEMs and bus body builders as well as play a crucial role in the transformation and modernization of the entire coach bus building industry in India.
But what was planned as a boon for the industry eventually turned out to be a bane in reality!
All India Bus Body Builders Association Members Share Their Issues
“When AIS 052 was introduced, there was much hype around it and it eventually ended up setting a sense of panic situation among small-scale builders from the unorganized sector. There was complete ambiguity and a lack of information on what exactly to do and how to go about the entire process. So very naturally, it ended up creating a big confusion amongst all of us,” asserts Om Sharma, MD, Bus Aravali Motor Body Builders.
Honorable Member of Parliament, G S Damor said, “I congratulate the new association and wish them the best for the years to come. Bus body builders play a big role in road safety hence we will appeal to the government to hear their pleas and come up with viable solutions.”
It is important to note that India ranks among the top 10 countries in terms of fatalities in road accidents. The numbers involve high percentage of commercial vehicles, hence the changes ushered in through the new Code of Practice for Bus Body Design and Approval are expected to curb and reduce road accidents.
The Indian bus body building industry can be categorized into two segments – the corporate or the organized sector and the unorganized sector, which the Government of India identifies as Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME).
This unorganized sector dominates the bus body building industry in India and contributes about 52 percent of the total market share.
While there are only a handful of firms in the corporate sector, the unorganized sector is replete with a significantly high number of coach builders throughout the country. The sector has also been a key employment generator for both skilled and non-skilled human resources over the years.
“Overall, it is a very big industry and serves as the livelihood of numerous people around the country. Today, we feel that our capabilities have also been challenged. We might be smaller units but our longstanding experience has armed us with expertise that can match the biggest names of this sector. We have always adhered to all prevalent guidelines and regulations and will continue to do so in the interest of both road and passenger safety. We, the All India Bus Body Builders Association, just want to urge the government to simplify the existing procedure and make it more comprehensible for smaller businesses of this sector,” states Om Sharma.
“The Bus Body Code was introduced to provide safety and comfort to passengers and motivate them to use public transport. This cannot be achieved without joint efforts by the Government, bus body builders and all stakeholders of the industry. Together, we will ensure a smooth implementation of this important landmark in the Indian bus industry,” he adds.
Honorable Member of Parliament, Nand Kumar Chauhan, expressing his approval of the newly formed association congratulated all the members and stated, “At the outset, I appreciate the fact that All India Body Builders was carved within the unorganized sector to safeguard the interests of all the MSMEs. I wish the association all the best for their future endeavors and promise to appeal to the Government for them.”
“The Bus Body Code was introduced to provide safety and comfort to passengers and motivate them to use public transport. This cannot be achieved without joint efforts by the Government, bus body builders, and all stakeholders of the industry. Together, we will ensure a smooth implementation of this important landmark in the Indian bus industry,” he adds.
Honorable Member of Parliament, G S Damor said, “I congratulate the new All India Bus Body Builders Association and wish them the best for the years to come. Bus body builders play a big role in road safety hence we will appeal to the government to hear their pleas and come up with viable solutions.”
It is important to note that India ranks among the top 10 countries in terms of fatalities in road accidents. The numbers involve a high percentage of commercial vehicles, hence the changes ushered in through the new Code of Practice for Bus Body Design and Approval are expected to curb and reduce road accidents.
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