KARACHI, May 28: The Al-Ghazi Tractors, the makers of Fiat tractors, and the Dewan Automotive Engineering are engaged in a tussle over the launching of a new tractor.

The Dewan Automotive Engineering is asking the Engineering Development Board to verify lists of importable components so that it could start production of the new tractor (Dewan Tumosan Tractor DT-550, 55HP), but the old rival is of the view that the permission should not be granted “as the said model exists nowhere or was ever produced by Ms Tumosan”.

The Al-Ghazi Tractors also claims that parts catalogue or service manual submitted by the Dewan was a 100 per cent copy of their Fiat tractor manual and it was not a Tumosan manual. It alleged that it was a pirated copy cannibalised by using 90 per cent of local components developed by the Al-Ghazi for its tractors.

The Dewan Automotive Engineering, the sources said, has informed the EDB that it had signed a technical assistance and licensing agreement with the Alcelik Celik Yapi Insaat Sanayi Ve Ticaret AS, established under the laws of the Republic of Turkey, to launch Tumosan tractor. The company also provided a copy of the agreement, with parts catalogue and service manual, for which the company has established a manufacturing plant with a capacity to produce 9,000 tractors per annum.

The EDB has informed the Al-Ghazi Tractors that the EDB regulates and implements under the provision of SRO656(I)2006, and it had no mandate to implement the intellectual property rights issues and prevent production of Tumosan tractor.

The matter, the EDB says, has been placed before a technical committee. The issue was discussed in the second meeting of the Auto Industry Development Committee held on May 24.

EURO II: Millat Tractors Limited (MTL) has also submitted lists of EURO-II-complaint parts for tractors for allowing import of the same at zero-rated duty.