However, the EPCA had added an escape clause for the industry that two-stroke engines fitted with catalytic converters could be registered, provided the manufacturers gave an emission guarantee on the converters they fitted. The big chiefs of the two-wheeler industry mulled over the issue for almost a month and then decided to provide the guarantee that the environmentalists were seeking.

Last week, TVS Suzuki head and president of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) Venu Srinivasan announced that theindustry was indeed ready to offer such a warranty. ``We decided to put our best foot forward, making this the first time that the automobile industry has taken such an initiative, and have announced a emission warranty for 30,000 kms,'' says Srinivasan.

The warranty is the highest in the world, he says, with most manufacturers in other world markets offering such a warranty for 15,000 kms only. The converters would last an average two-wheeler user about five years. ``And it would cost only Rs 1,000 later to replace the converter,'' he says. Srinivasan admits that the industry was prone to stone-walling attempts by environmentalists to green it. ``But over the last two years, the automobile industry has adopted a more pro-active approach towards being environment friendly,'' he says.

The two-wheeler industry was peeved with the decision to ban the registration of two-stroke engines and opt for four-stroke engines instead. ``Catalytic converters on two-stroke engines have been proven to be as effective asfour-stroke engines. In fact, two-stroke engines with catalytic converters burn the fuel much better than four-stroke engines,'' he says.

TVS Suzuki, for example, he says, has invested over Rs 20 crore in R&D over the past few years to improve engine efficiency. Four-stroke engines, the industry chiefs felt, would not only mean heavy changes at the factory-end, but also jack up the street price of two-wheelers.

The debate of four-stroke versus two-stroke has been going on for a long time now. While the industry feels that two-stroke engines are better for utility use and four-stroke for power and sports bikes, environmentalists have always felt four-stroke engines were cleaner. ``The industry has invested heavily in R&D and several engine changes have been made in two-stroke engines, which have made it better and with a catalytic converter, they will be as good as four-stroke engines,'' K K Gandhi, senior advisor to SIAM and former scientist at the Indian Institute for Petroleum Research (Dehradun),says.

But the manufacturers are not willing to take all the burden of pollution on their shoulders. ``It cannot be the responsibility of the automobile manufacturers alone. The government also has to have a composite oil-fuel policy to reduce pollution. They also have to introduce a strict maintenance and inspection system,'' he says.

The users should be made to keep their vehicles in good conditions and prosecuted for violations of failure to keep up the standards. ``We have been working on improving technology and are committed to providing better vehicles, but the responsibility has to be shared by the government and the public,'' says Srinivasan.