JCB India on Wednesday launched a backhoe loader — machinery used to dig earth for construction — that can be fuelled by CNG as well, a first such product in the industry.

The earth-lifting equipment will save ₹1 lakh a year (at the present diesel prices) for its users, apart from lowering the extent of pollution caused during excavation. The machine will cost four per cent more than the normal diesel-run loaders. It will be built in its factory at Faridabad, Deepak Shetty, Deputy CEO and MD, told reporters here.

This is the first time that a dual-fuel-CNG is being rolled out as a backhoe loader, which will allow the machine operator to choose the fuel of choice to run the machine. That JCB’s products are used in urban areas as well help the company sell its products in India, a country where CNG fuel is available in select locations.

In sync with the sustainability objective of company, this will lead to a 25 per cent reduction in emission of carbon dioxide during excavation and 90 per cent reduction in emission of soot. Excavation forms a large part of the equipment’s operational time.

Shetty said that post-pandemic the company has seen green shoots emerging after July-August. Areas and sectors that have driven the demand include the highways sector, Mumbai-Delhi expressways, rural and border areas.

Utilisation of machines has gone up by 10 per cent this year against the pre-Covidlevels or the same time last year, said Shetty, indicating revival.

Shetty added that according to the Indian Construction Equipment Manufacturers' Association, the overall industry sales figure for construction equipment stood at 30,747 during April-October 2020. “This is 10 per cent lower than the sales figure recorded last year during the same period, which was approximately 34,026 machines sold between April and October in 2019,” he added.

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