Taking a stern view on fire incidents in electric two wheelers, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said that defaulting companies will face heavy penalties and will have to recall defective vehicles, which will be based on the findings of the expert committee formed to look into the issue.

The Minister assured that the government will issue necessary orders to the defaulting companies and will soon come out with quality-centric guidelines for Electric Vehicles (EVs). The government action comes after five people lost their lives in the last five months and around 50 electric two-wheelers caught fire.

“Several mishaps involving electric two wheelers have come to light in the last two months. It is most unfortunate that some people have lost their lives and several have been injured in these incidents. We have constituted an Expert Committee to enquire into these incidents and make recommendations on remedial steps,”Gadkari tweeted.

The Minister further said, “Based on the reports, we will issue necessary orders on the defaulting companies. We will soon issue quality-centric guidelines for Electric Vehicles. If any company is found negligent in their processes, a heavy penalty will be imposed and a recall of all defective vehicles will also be ordered.”

‘Recall defective vehicles’

Gadkari added that companies may take advance action to recall all defective batches of vehicles immediately, adding that “Under the leadership of PM Shri @narendramodi ji, our government is committed to ensure safety of each and every commuter.”

There has been a spate of incidents where electric vehicles have caught fire, with one reported from Nashik in Maharashtra, where 20 of the 40 electric scooters caught fire on April 9 when they were being loaded in a container. In March, about four incidents of electric scooters catching fire were reported from different parts of the country, prompting the government to order a forensic investigation.

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