Bangalore: With no proper safety certification norms in the electrical and electronics sector, India and in particular, Bangalore, it seems will soon be sitting on a pile of e-waste.

Though there is no documentation on the e-waste generated in the silicon city, reports say that it could be alarming. Some reports indicate that Bangalore could be generating over 8,000 tonnes of e-waste annually.

The reasons for the e-waste pile up are that a number of products manufactured for the domestic market do not have quality certification, and also products imported do not necessarily come through any certification. Unlike products exported.

Sounding this alarm is Manish Bhatnagar, Commercial Director of Underwriters Laboratories India, which is an independent, not-for-profit product-safety testing and certification organisation.

Mr. Bhatnagar mentions how it is imperative for manufacturers of electronic products to have the ccc mark if it has to gain market access in China. "China has put up trade barriers for India, but not India." India is becoming a dumping ground for electronic products that have a high rate of obsolescence. The lifecycle of desktop computers has come down from nearly six years to three years, though in India "junking" of old computers does not come so easily.

Underlining the importance of certification of electrical and electronic goods, not just to gain international market access, but also to comply with safety norms, Mr. Bhatnagar says how the developed nations have been moving towards "green products". Mr. Bhatnagar says that with RoHS (Restrictions on Hazardous Substances) directive coming into effect from July 1, 2006, market access for electrical and electronic products without proper certification will become a major problem. Citing the instance of Palm Treo 650, which has been stopped in Europe for not complying with the directive, he says Indian companies could face an uphill task. China will have Article 11, similar to RoHS by March next year, whereas India does not have any certification of international standards in the electrical and electronic segment.

The problem in India, he says, is that most companies are ignorant of international certification norms. The Bureau of Indian Standards has 18 categories for certification, but electrical and electronics sector has not been given priority. "International certification costs money, but that is not what is holding the companies back, it is that they are not just aware of the norms."

UL India, he adds, is working with BIS to bring about standards in the electrical and electronics segment, but the process has been slow. As for UL India, it has been organising workshops and seminars to make the industry aware of the safety and certification norms, and in the recent past there is a spurt in the interest shown. "We need to check e-waste within the country and the domestic industry should comply with safety norms," he says.

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