Rising Petrol Price ‘Agitating People’, Alternate Fuel May Bring Relief
New Delhi: In the view of increasing petrol and diesel prices in the country, Union minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari suggested the use of alternate fuels to calm “agitation people”. While inaugurating country’s first commercial Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Facility plant at Nagpur, Gadkari said, more use of alternate fuels such as LNG, CNG or ethanol would bring respite from increasing petrol price, which is now “agitating” people, reported The Times of India.
“The use of ethanol as vehicle fuel would help save at least Rs 20 per litre despite its lower calorific value compared to petrol,” the minister said, quoted the report. “In our economy, we are spending Rs 8 lakh crores for the import of petrol diesel and petroleum products which is a big challenge,” he further pointed.
The Union minister said that they have designed a “policy that encourages the development of imports to substitute cost-effective pollution-free and indigenous ethanol, bio CNG, LNG and hydrogen fuels.”
Gadkari also spoke about flex engines, adding a “decision will be taken in three months making it mandatory for automobile manufacturers particularly the four-wheelers and two-wheelers make flex engines.”
“The cost of the vehicle remains the same whether it is petrol or a flex engine, mentioning that several countries like USA, Canada and Brazil already have them,” he added.
Petrol price has touched record highs in the country. The auto fuel has crossed the Rs 100-a-litre mark in at least 17 states and Union Territories — Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Bihar, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Ladakh, Sikkim, Puducherry and Delhi.
Petrol price was increased by up to 34 paise on July 12. With this, the retail price of petrol in Mumbai crossed Rs 107.20 for a litre. In Delhi, the price of petrol stands at 101.19 per litre. In Chennai and Kolkata, motorists will have to shell out Rs 101.92 per litre and Rs 101.35 per litre respectively.