Govt probing complaints about ISO certified tyres

NEW DELHI: Consumer Affairs Minister K V Thomas today said his ministry is investigating the complaints of poor quality ISO certified tyres. "Some tyre companies, who have ISO certification, are not adhering to the quality standards. We have received complaints about poor quality tyres. We are seriously looking into them," Thomas said on the sidelines of an event here. The minister, however, did not reveal the name of the tyre companies which have violated the quality standards. Domestic manufacturers produce tyres for passenger, commercial as well as special defence vehicles. India's tyre industry, which comprises of around 39 companies, had manufactured 14.88 lakh tonnes of tyres last fiscal, according to the Automotive Tyre Manufacturers' Association ( ATMA). Saying that products and services embossed with ISO certification give confidence to consumers, Thomas urged manufacturers and exporters to comply fully with the prescribed standards. Speaking on the eve of World Standards Day, he said national standards play a vital role in the present era of World Trade Organisation (WTO). India, which is a signatory to the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade, should harmonise Indian standards, wherever feasible, with global standards, he said. "This (international standards) gives manufacturers confidence to reach out to the global markets with the knowledge that their products will compete globally and users can be confident and assured of the uniformity in the quality," Thomas noted. Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the national standards body, has so far formulated over 18,600 Indian standards in accordance with the needs and priorities of the country. The BIS will continue its efforts in this direction so as to face the challenges of global competition in today's market scenario, he added.