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STATES: DELHI
Limited Supply
The
reason alternative fuels are being discussed in expert circles is that
Delhi's experience with CNG has demonstrated a single fuel may not be
feasible. The supply of CNG will only last until 2004, when the country
is expected to switch to imported LNG (liquefied natural gas). That means
a drastic rise in running costs. Today, CNG is the cheapest fuel at Rs
12.25 per kg compared to Rs 28.73 per litre for petrol and Rs 16 per litre
for diesel but that is because Delhi's CNG is subsidised by 32 per cent.
In 2004, LNG may well come for Rs 23 per unit. But as D. Biswas, chairman,
CPCB, points out, "ULSD is not yet available, needs a particulate
trap, and a Euro III engine. Right now we're struggling to get Euro II."
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SAFETY
DRIVE
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Is a CNG vehicle a dormant bomb in motion?
"CNG is definitely safe," said Anil Agarwal, a Bhure Lal
Committee member, in April. He's right in a sense. Its chemical
properties ensure that CNG will not ignite at high temperatures.
Yet a CNG-bus exploded in Delhi last week, the
third CNG-related explosion in the past six months. Reports blame
faulty wiring. But it emphasises safety concerns. "Any gaseous
fuel is hazardous," says R.K. Malhotra, DGM, Indian Oil Research
Centre. A US study shows that when a gas is fitted under high pressure,
the cylinder can become a missile if it is even slightly loosened.
And CNG is gas at very high pressure. A report submitted to the
Supreme Court in July warns that standards in CNG vehicles have
to be maintained strictly to ensure safety.
Lives depend on equipment being installed properly.
But no safety standards for CNG are in place. The safety report
notes that, with no fear of inspection, many installations were
found deficient. CNG vehicles need frequent check-ups (parts corrode
faster). But few trained mechanics are available. Parts are often
substandard. Adulterated fuel could cause havoc. CNG is safe on
paper but its safety may not extend to the reality of Indian conditions.
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LOOMING DANGER: A bus exploded recently,
raising doubts about CNG's safety |
The power generating capacity of CNG has also
been called into question: CNG-powered vehicles tend to lose acceleration
while going up steep slopes. Says Dr R.K. Pachauri of the Tata Energy
Research Institute (TERI): "Nowhere in the world have cities adopted
CNG on such a scale without evaluating the performance of a single bus."
A study shows that older vehicles fitted with CNG cylinders are not really
"green". Present laws require such vehicles to meet emission
standards of the year of manufacture-in effect this means that pre-1996
buses, even with CNG are more polluting than new non-CNG ones. Also, there
is the safety factor: a large number of older vehicles are being retrofitted
with CNG cylinders. The danger in the increasing popularity of this method
lies in the fact that there are no safety standards against which they
can be tested before taking to the road. The Bureau of Indian Standards
(BIS) has norms only for such gas cylinders only when they are stationary,
not when they are in motion. So far the blasts have been few but doubts
continue.
Beyond the doubts over emission and safety is
another critical factor affecting commuting pattern in the city -the cost.
No alternative or green fuel comes cheap. Full-scale conversion to CNG
comes at a hefty price. While a new CNG bus costs Rs 16-17 lakh and a
new diesel Euro II one Rs 8 lakh, an old diesel bus with a new Euro II
engine will cost approximately Rs 6.5 lakh. An old diesel bus with retrofitted
CNG engine costs Rs 4-5 lakh. High cost has already pushed up cost of
public transport in Delhi. Diesel too is expensive in its green form-the
mandatory filtering device called a "trap" alone costs $5,000
(Rs 2,35,000). Processing ordinary diesel to clear it of sulphur for its
USLD version is also an expensive hi-technology process.
Many feel that converting the entire fleet to
one kind of fuel also means that Delhi will be denied any future technological
development in fuels other than CNG (globally, one-eighth of commercial
vehicles get renewed at a time every year, which allows fleet renewal
in a gradual staggered manner). Besides, the research on the effects of
CNG on health is still inconclusive. The levels and the size of particulate
matter released by CNG as compared to ULSD engines are still being researched.
Then there is the old debate on whether the
government should just monitor emission levels or dictate what fuels are
to be used. But failures at the implementation levels have ruled out the
first option. R.J. Shahaney, chairman, Ashok Leyland, feels that curbing
pollution need not be about changing over to one particular fuel: "You
can reduce pollution by reducing the vehicles on the road or by reducing
emissions from all the vehicles."
There is also a fear that if cleaner fuels make public transport more
expensive, commuters may shift to private transport. That would not only
lead to higher levels of pollution, but could also worsen the already
deteriorating traffic conditions. "Pollution per person in a bus
is far less than that made by cars and scooters. With buses becoming expensive,
we will see many switching to two-wheelers and car pools which will defeat
the entire purpose of bringing in CNG," says Dinesh Mohan, Henry
Ford Professor for Transportation Safety at IIT Delhi. Already, the sudden
and exhorbitant increase in school and chartered bus fares have forced
people to opt out of mass transport system and go in for either private
transport or car pools. The trend could perpetuate if cost difference
between public and private transport narrows down.
Right now all eyes are on the Supreme Court.
Whatever the decision, one thing is certain, the key players in any decision-making
process-the government, pollution-control authorities and automobile manufacturers-will
all need to work together seriously and in tandem to chalk out a long-term
transport policy. Says Jagdish Khattar, MD, Maruti Udyog Ltd, who is also
a member of the Bhure Lal Committee: "What we need today is integrated
transport management." It is important to make public transport better
and cost efficient. Simultaneously, it is also important to encourage
public transport by making private vehicle ownership more expensive. If
a macro view is not taken, it will be lobbies who will rein supreme. Commuters
and environment will continue to suffer.
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