A prototype of the 125cc Rhino

Guwahati, Oct. 20: For those who waited patiently for the Rhino bike to hit the city’s roads, here’s finally some good news.

Manufacturers of the bike in the Northeast, Sai Motors Private Limited, have said the two-wheeler would be launched by end of November after approval from the international Centre for Automotive Technology (iCAT) at Manesar in Gurgaon district of Haryana.

Though the launch of the bike was planned for the Pujas, it had to be put off by two months owing to delay in getting the road worthiness certificate from the centre.

The development has not only come as a welcome relief to the manufacturers but also to Dispur which had extended its mite to get the project off the ground by allotting land at Chaygaon. The launch would undoubtedly help boost the image of Assam as an investment-friendly destination and also help in creation of direct and indirect jobs.

The company, which is pumping in around Rs 100 crore, has taken up the process of building sales and service network in Assam. As it is with all new product launches, there is enough curiosity among bike lovers about the Rhino, which would come in 125cc and 150cc at a reasonable price of Rs 25,000 and Rs 28,000 respectively. The prototypes have been assembled by mixing the best of Indian and Chinese components.

Manoj Chhawchharia, managing director of the company, told The Telegraph that the delay in the approval of the two-wheeler from the Maneswar-based centre was because of the Gujjar agitation in northern India.

“Now that road worthiness certificate has been obtained, the authorities concerned have been approached for registration of the vehicles. We are quite confident that by the end of November we can launch our vehicles in Assam.”

The company has been allotted 15 bighas at the Chaygaon industrial growth centre. The plant is likely to generate around 200 direct jobs in the first phase.

“We receive a lot of expressions of interest but for one reason or other nothing materialises in the long run. Since the product will be visible to all, it will help the state get that much more mileage. If the product clicks, everybody will be talking about the bike from Assam, a state not known for its manufacturing ability. A successful launch will send the right signal to investors about doing business with Assam,” one of the state government sources said.