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Panel set up on auto fuel policy

Our Bureau

NEW DELHI, Sept. 14

THE Government has constituted an Expert Committee headed by Dr R.A. Mashelkar, Director General, CSIR, to recommend an ``Auto Fuel Policy'' with specific reference to major cities and also devise a road map for its implementation.

An official release said the Committee will take into account the vehicular emission norms recommended by the inter-ministerial task force headed by Chairman of Central Pollution Control Board. It will also consider the on-going work on ethanol blending of gasoline and use of bio fuels in transportation by the groups set up by the Petroleum Ministry and Non-Conventional Energy Sources Ministry.

The terms of reference of the committee includes making suitable recommendation on the availability and logistics of fuel supplies, processing economies of auto fuels and possibilities of multi-fuel use in different categories of vehicles.

The Committee would recommend in terms of the attributes of the automobile technology, fuel mixes relevant to their requirements, price environment etc for ensuring minimisation of the social cost of meeting a given level of environmental quality and veh icular emission norms. To achieve this, the committee has been asked to suggest fiscal measures including removing pricing distortions, fiscal interventions, use of market based instruments etc.

It will also make suitable recommendations on institutional means of certification of different technology/fuel mixes, as also monitoring and enforcement measures.

The other members of the Committee are Mr D.V. Singh, Vice Chancellor, University of Roorkee, Dr R. Narayan, Director, IIT Chennai, Prof D.K. Biswas, Chairman, CPCB, Mr K.P. Niyati, Head of Environment Division, CII, Mr S. Singhal, Director, Indian Insti tute of Petroleum, Dehradun, Dr O.P. Mathur, Professor, NIPFP, Dr R.P. Shukhla, Professor, IIM Ahmedabad and Mr N.R. Krishnan, Former Secretary, Ministry of Environment & Forests.