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No insurance policy to comply with Madras HC order on 5 yr bumper to bumper cover

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Suspense continues on whether vehicle buyers will have to shell out a huge amount towards insurance premium upfront for five years from Wednesday onwards to comply with the Madras High Court order.

As things stand now, new car buyers in Tamil Nadu from Wednesday onwards, have to pay huge sums as premium for five years.

It is learnt the industry lobby body, General Insurance Council is exploring various options including legal ones to wriggle out of the situation.

But where is the policy is the question?

“The IRDAI (Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India) has to approve such a product first. There is no five-year bumper-to-bumper car vehicle insurance policy,” Saharsh Damani, CEO, Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) told IANS.

Non-insurance industry officials told IANS, none of the insurers have a five year bumper-to-bumper insurance policy for cars and two wheelers.

Such a product has to be designed after doing actuarial calculations.

Industry officials starting from the sectoral regulator IRDAI and the insurers are keeping mum on the issue though claiming to serve the interests of the insuring public.

Recently, the Madras High Court by an order made the costly bumper-to-bumper insurance cover compulsory for all new private cars sold from September 1, 2021.

The court also ordered circulation of the judgement by the Additional Chief Secretary, Transport Department, Chennai, to all the insurers and the said officers must ensure that the above direction is followed scrupulously in letter and spirit without any deviation.

“Why should the insurers issue any instructions. They will be happy if the order is implemented as they will get lump sum premium income upfront,” an insurance intermediary not wanting to be quoted told IANS.

The headless IRDAI has not issued any public notice/guidance in this regard.

The Tamil Nadu government is also silent on this aspect as the court had ordered the circulation of its order to Additional Secretary, Transport Department.

“We have not got any circular from the head office in this regard,” an official of a public sector general insurer told IANS preferring anonymity.

The court posted the matter for September 30 for reporting compliance.

“The insurers will be silent as the court had not ordered them. It is for the IRDAI to issue necessary instructions making personal accident insurance cover for occupants of a private car and the pillion riders of two wheelers compulsory. Now it is optional,” Americai V. Narayanan, Chairman, ICM Insurance Brokers Pvt Ltd told IANS.

Narayanan said the bumper-to-bumper insurance cover will cost more than the comprehensive insurance cover as the claims under the former will be settled on replacement cost basis while under the latter depreciation will be applied on the component cost.

Vehicle insurance policies are two parts — own damage (insurance for the vehicle against damage, theft) and third party liability (liability for third parties).

The third party insurance cover is mandatory whereas the insurance cover for vehicle damage is not mandatory.

The Madras High Court order is for making insurance cover for vehicles mandatory.

“It is a patently untenable order (court’s order) and would not stand legal scrutiny if the vehicle makers or any other aggrieved party goes on appeal,” D. Varadarajan, a Supreme Court advocate specialising in company/competition/insurance laws, told IANS.

Commenting on the lack of awareness on the part of car owners about the liability for occupants of the car the court while hearing a case ordered: “Therefore, this court directs that whenever a new vehicle is sold after 01.09.2021, it is mandatory for coverage of bumper-to-bumper insurance every year, in addition to covering the driver, passengers and owner of the vehicle, for a period of five years.”

“Thereafter, the owner of the vehicle must be cautious in safeguarding the interest of driver, passengers, third parties and himself/herself, so as to avoid unnecessary liability being foisted on the owner of the vehicle, as beyond five years, as on date there is no provision to extend the bumper-to-bumper policy, due to its non-availability,” the court ordered.

Business

Sensex, Nifty open higher; private banks lead sectoral gains

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Mumbai, Oct 6: Indian equity benchmarks opened higher on Tuesday amid positive global cues and buying in private banking stocks.

Nifty opened at 22,603.25, an increase of 47.50 points or 0.21 per cent.

Meanwhile, Sensex opened at 72,508.05, up 125.58 points or 0.17 per cent.

Private banks led sectoral gains in early trade as Nifty Private Bank rose 0.75 per cent.

Nifty MidSmall IT & Telecom index gained 0.5 per cent, while the metal index advanced 0.32 per cent.

Notably, chemical, energy, financial services and cement were also trading higher, while PSU banks and FMCG were largely flat.

On the losing side, Nifty Auto fell 0.4 per cent, followed by healthcare, pharma and consumer durables indices. Realty, IT and media indices were also marginally lower.

Market experts said the near-term tone remained cautiously constructive, supported by a firm opening and improved global cues, although the broader setup remained tentative following the recent decline.

Analysts said a sustained recovery in the opening hours, backed by broader market participation, would be important to determine whether the current bounce can extend.

The market could remain in a ‘sell on rally’ mode as elevated US bond yields were likely to keep foreign institutional investors (FIIs) selling, even as domestic institutional investors (DIIs) continued to support large-cap stocks amid strong fund inflows, according to them.

The experts said a sustained market rally would require a sharp decline in crude oil prices, although there was currently no clear indication of such a move.

On the technical front, analysts see 23,100-23,220 as near-term objectives, with 22,800 likely to pose an intermediate hurdle.

A failure to move above the 22,555-22,615 band could signal further consolidation, while the downside is expected to remain limited around 22,050 for now.

Additionally, FIIs remained net sellers in Indian equities, offloading shares worth Rs 4,699 crore on Monday. DIIs provided support, making net purchases of Rs 5,181 crore.

In addition, Asian shares traded higher in early hours after a technology-led rally propelled the Nasdaq to a fresh record high.

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Navi Mumbai Airport expands multimodal transport network ahead of winter flight schedule

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Ahmedabad, Oct 5: Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) is strengthening its public transport and ground mobility infrastructure ahead of the Winter Schedule 2026-27, with a wider network of buses, taxis, autorickshaws, car rentals, and airport shuttles aimed at improving connectivity across Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Pune and the wider Mumbai Metropolitan Region, it was announced on Monday.

The airport, operated by Adani Airport Holdings Limited (AAHL), is preparing for the Winter Schedule that will run from October 25, 2026, to March 27, 2027.

As part of the expansion, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) will launch e-Shivai electric bus services from NMIA on October 7.

The first phase of MSRTC services will connect the airport with Dadar, Borivali and Pune. Fares from NMIA have been set at Rs 450 for Pune, Rs 210 for Borivali, and Rs 170 for Dadar East. Children below 12 years and women travelling with a National Common Mobility Card will be eligible for a 50 per cent fare concession.

The Dadar-NMIA service will operate through Sion and Atal Setu, while the Borivali-NMIA route will connect CSMIA Terminal 1, Bandra, and Atal Setu. The Pune route will have two daily services, with one operating in the morning and another in the afternoon. MSRTC also plans to introduce services connecting NMIA with Thane and Nashik by mid-November.

Private bus operator Chalo Bus is already providing 21 daily services connecting NMIA with Marol in Andheri East, Bandra, Dadar, and the World Trade Centre in Colaba. The operator is also adding capacity during peak periods to cater to passenger and airport employee movement.

Within Navi Mumbai, Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) is operating seven dedicated airport routes, A1 to A7, linking Terminal 1 with Kharkopar, Targhar, Belapur, Nerul, Panvel, Khandeshwar and the Airport Project Office. Services between Belapur and Nerul are available every 15-20 minutes during peak hours, while further connectivity to Vashi and Panvel is planned.

The airport is also expanding taxi and last-mile connectivity. Uber Go and Uber Premier will provide app-based cab services, while Uber Auto will cater to passengers seeking on-demand autorickshaw services for shorter journeys. Prepaid taxi and autorickshaw facilities, along with car rental services, are also being introduced at the airport.

Bharat Taxi is scheduled to begin operations at NMIA from October 10 with a dedicated fleet of up to 40 vehicles, adding another option for passengers travelling to and from the airport.

A complimentary inter-airport shuttle service is also being introduced between NMIA and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA). Operated by Cityflo, Aarya and Chalo, the shuttle will run every hour and provide passengers with a direct transfer option between Mumbai’s two airports.

Overall ground transport capacity at NMIA is being scaled up to 4,594 vehicles and services, including 3,787 app-based taxis, 184 car rentals, 171 autorickshaws and 547 buses. The airport is also deploying mobility signage, improved wayfinding systems and on-ground passenger assistance, with designated areas for buses, shuttles, arrivals, departures and private vehicles.

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Business

Indian markets open higher amid positive global cues; PSU bank stocks lead

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Mumbai, Oct 5: Indian equity benchmarks opened sharply higher on Monday, tracking gains across Asian markets after softer-than-expected US jobs data tempered expectations of an immediate Federal Reserve rate hike.

Nifty opened at 22,532.40, an increase of more than 100 points or 0.49 per cent.

Similarly, Sensex began the trading session up over 400 points or 0.6 per cent at 72,340.95.

Moreover, the broader market sentiment was positive with most sectoral indices trading in the green in early deals. Nifty PSU Bank, Nifty Media, and Nifty Metal gained up to 1 per cent.

Nifty Realty advanced 0.93 per cent, while Nifty Chemicals, Nifty FMCG and Nifty Oil & Gas gained between 0.8 per cent and 0.85 per cent.

Nifty Private Bank and Nifty Consumer Durables were also trading higher in morning trade. While Nifty IT, Nifty Auto and Nifty Pharma were seen flat.

On the other hand, healthcare stocks were only trading marginally lower as Nifty 500 Healthcare and Nifty Healthcare Index declined 0.07 per cent and 0.12 per cent, respectively.

Market experts said markets could see a near-term rebound after eight consecutive weeks of declines.

However, elevated crude oil prices, high US bond yields and continued foreign institutional investor selling remain key headwinds, they said.

“Valuations have turned attractive, particularly for large-caps,” the experts said and added that the market may be better placed to withstand the prevailing headwinds.

Positive September automobile sales data also point to continued resilience in the domestic economy, according to them.

The Reserve Bank of India is widely expected to raise its policy rate by 25 basis points on Wednesday with the move largely priced into the market, according to the experts.

Banks could benefit from the rate hike as higher floating lending rates may support margins, they added.

In addition, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) remained net sellers in the previous trading session with a net outflow of Rs 9,484 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) continued to provide support with net purchases of Rs 10,041 crore.

Additionally, crude oil prices eased with international benchmark Brent crude trading nearly 1 per cent lower at $101.27 a barrel.

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