www.autofuelpolicy.com -- Fuelling pollution control

S. Muralidhar

MOST cities in India have the dubious distinction of being among the most polluted cities in the world.

The source of air pollution being from both industrial and automobile emissions. The scattered attempts at dealing with automotive air pollution have not been able to ensure a uniform policy for the country as a whole and have only lead to marginal successes in reducing automotive emissions in a localised manner.

In the meanwhile, cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata, bursting at their seams with a teeming urban population that is increasingly taking to personal transportation, are finding the worsening air pollution situation difficult to handle. Automotive emissions have reached alarming proportions in all these cities. It is not surprising then that there is an increasing awareness amongst the residents about the problem of air pollution and the urgent need to tackle all the related issues required to clear the air.

The Supreme Court's unprecedented decisions taken in 1999, directing automobile companies to improve technologies in their vehicles, in order to minimise emissions lead to the advancement of the deadline for application of Euro-II emission standards for private passenger cars and also led to the blanket application of CNG as a fuel for public transport in the capital. Now, after these measures for improving emission technologies, there is a resurgence of awareness for attacking the heart of the problem of emissions, that of `fuel quality'.

For the purpose, an Expert Committee with specific terms of reference has been constituted by Government of India on 13.09.2001 to recommend an Auto Fuel Policy for the country. The committee is in the process of collating the views and suggestions of the public and is expected to finalise its interim report with its recommendations for improving fuel quality by the first quarter of 2002. The Committee will submit its interim report to the Government within a period of three months and the final report within a period of six months.

In an effort at offering the public an opportunity to participate in the decision making process, the Expert Committee on "Auto Fuel Policy" has set up a Web site at `www.autofuelpolicy.org' for disseminating information and for seeking suggestions and feedback from the general public regarding measures that could be adopted for improving fuel quality.

The Web site provides details such as the terms of reference of the committee, which is headed by Dr. R A Mashelkar, Director General, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi.

The autofuelpolicy Web site also gives links to the Web sites of a number of related departments and ministries such as that of Road Transport & Highways, Environment & Forests, Heavy Industry, Agriculture, Petroleum and Natural Gas and Consumer Affairs. The Committee may take formal consultations with the different stakeholders and is being serviced by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas.

The expert committee has been formed to devise a road map for the implementation of the policy, taking into account the vehicular emission norms, and issues such as ethanol blending of gasoline and the use of bio fuels in transportation. It is also expected to suggest suitable auto fuels for the country and their specifications considering the availability and logistics of fuel supplies, the processing economics of auto fuels and the possibilities of multi-fuel use in different categories of vehicles. As part of its mandate, the committee will also suggest fiscal measures including removal of price distortions, fiscal interventions and the use of market based instruments to achieve these objectives.

The Web site also has a search option and useful links to Indian energy related ministries and research organisations, Indian oil and gas apex bodies and companies, international energy companies and related services and trade associations. Visitors to the Web site can leave their suggestions and feedback as part of their efforts to influence policy making for ensuring better fuel and cleaner air.