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Fuel and Fire
The interim
report on a policy for auto-fuel takes an about turn raising fears that
it would be exploited by the anti-CNG brigade. India Today's Malini Goyal
takes a look.
For the green brigade, the new year began
with a red flag. When the R.A. Mashelkar committee, set up by the Union
Government to frame an auto-fuel policy, submitted its report recently,
it stirred a veritable hornet's nest. Taking an about turn on what the
Bhure Lal committee had earlier recommended to curb pollution in Delhi,
the Mashelkar report dwelt on setting emission norms rather than specifying
a fuel. More than the content, it's the timing of the report and its quick
adoption by the Cabinet—within a week—that raised eyebrows.
With January 31 being the deadline for converting the entire Delhi bus
fleet to CNG and the CNG case coming up for hearing in the Supreme Court
on February 8, it is feared that the report will be used by the anti-CNG
lobby to pursue their cause.
THE
CONTRADICTIONS
Mashelkar
Report: |
*Roadmap for the entire country
*By 2005 Euro II norms to be in place in the country and Euro III
in 7 mega cities.
*By 2010, entire country to have Euro III emission norm. Its preponement
to be reviewed after 2005.
* up well-equipped institutional framework to track pollution and
identify environmental objectives.
*A nodal regulatory body to manage and monitor emission, fuel quality,
vehicle technology instead of present multiple-fractured regulatory
bodies.
* Strict monitoring and tracking of in-use vehicles with fiscal incentives
thrown in.
*Strict norms for 2-3 wheelers to be specified in the March report.
* Privatisation of inspection and certification system for in-use
vehicles.
* Fiscal incentives for use of alternative fuels like bio-diesel,
hydrogen, electric and fuel cell. Sops to oil and auto industry to
adopt better fuel and technology.
*Will be used by anti-CNG lobby to violate January 31 deadline |
Also at stake
is the reputation of 59-year-old Mashelkar who is the director-general
of CSIR. He has headed many committees set up by the government like that
on drugs and pharmaceuticals, the Union Carbide case in Bhopal and the
Maharashtra Gas Cracker Complex explosion. This is the first time that
his integrity and competence as a scientist has come under attack.
To be fair to its critics, the report has recommended exactly what the
anti-CNG lobby was asking for. Besides moving the entire debate from a
specific fuel to emission norms, the interim report also puts a question
mark on the effectiveness of converting diesel buses into CNG. Conversion
of diesel buses into CNG requires major modification as it means changing
the engine from compression ignition mode to spark ignition mode. This,
the report says, may not be the best option technologically. Globally,
retrofitted engines have not been successful due to issues of performance
and safety. Already, there have been
cidents of CNG buses catching fire.
Further, the report finds use of bi-fuel for cars/autos undesirable as
the engine can only be optimised for one fuel. It says that a bi-fuel
vehicle ought to be tested for compliance on both the fuels, thus raising
the bar for CNG auto-rickshaws and car which are bi-fuel. "We will
lose whatever momentum we have gained on controlling vehicular pollution,"
says Anumita Roy Chowdhary, coordinator, Centre for Science and Environment.
There is now much criticism that the report is motivated and biased. But
for a government pushed by the judiciary and riled in the media, this
could well be an attempt, albeit belated, to address the issue of vehicular
pollution in the country. Lost in the criticism is the fact that this
is the first time that the government is talking about a long-term comprehensive
auto fuel policy for the entire country. Says Mashelkar: "I do not
know why the report has become a Delhi issue. This is a committee to look
at a national auto fuel policy, we have never looked at it in such a comprehensive
manner."
| Bhure
Lal Committee Report: |
* Focuses on Delhi
* Does not talk about emission norms
* Specifies CNG/ULSD/LPG as the only clean fuel.
* Has allowed retrofitted engines in buses and autorickshaws.
* Finds no problem with bi-fuel usage in auto/cars
* Focuses on public transport and not as much on pollution from private
vehicles.
* Focuses on pollution control without getting into cost involved |
The nine-member
committee, drawn from IIT, IIM, the government and the industry, has laid
down a roadmap for auto pollution in the country. While setting emission
norms for automobiles and fuel standards, the committee is working out
a comprehensive institutional framework to monitor, control and regulate
auto-fuel pollution in the country. Taking a wholistic approach, the policy
talks about both new-and-old public-and-private vehicles. Working on a
carrot and stick approach, it is planning to offer fiscal incentives for
environment-friendly vehicles and discourage old vehicles through discriminatory
taxes. Thrown in will be stiff penalties for violation. All this will
come at a hefty cost. The oil industry alone will need to invest close
to Rs 35,000 crore and the automobile industry will put in around Rs 25,000
crore to meet the emission standards.
Dr Mashelkar may draw some comfort from the fact the World Bank in its
latest report on "Vehicular Air pollution mentions that before moving
on to better technology, emphasis should be on upgrading maintenance practices
of the existing fleet of vehicles.
"Adoption of best available technology is seldom cost-effective in
cities having a large number of poorly maintained vehicles," it says.
The only problem is that the Mashelkar report is interim and is silent
on crucial issues - something that is seriously bothering environmentalists.
Says Roychowdhary: "We definitely need a national auto fuel policy
and I welcome it. But the report would have been more credible if the
government had waited for the detailed report in March instead of rushing
to the Cabinet with the interim one." For instance, the report is
silent on the controversial and crucial issue of fuel quality. Similarly,
the emission standards for two/three wheelers have not been specified.
Most importantly, it does not give the blueprint for institutional framework
which will be put in place to monitor and regulate vehicular pollution
in the country. Says Chowdhary: "Emission norms have been in place
since 1991 but nobody took it seriously till the courts intervened."
Hopefully, all these issues will be addressed in the final report in March.
On the face of it, the report may look motivated and rushed but is implemented
in the long run, it could set a clear roadmap for the auto-fuel industry.
Of course, it will provide a breather to the government and the anti-CNG
lobby in Delhi but as Mashelkar says, "There has been premature criticism
as well as premature celebration of the report. Wait for the final report
to make your judgement." And this time, hopefully, the government
would have learnt its lessons from its CNG blunderings to act on its own
rather than pushed by the judiciary.
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