Expert
Committee Report
The
Expert Committee on “Auto Fuel Vision & Policy 2025” has
submitted its Report to Govt. of India in May 2014.The report emphasized on improvement of of Vehicle Technology
and Automotive
Fuel Quality to BS
IV/BS V emission norms. These imply huge capital investments in
Refineries on the one hand and in the Auto-Mobile Sector,
which is going to be a long drawn affair.
The
Expert Committee recommendation for rapid transition to BS IV / BS V
Automotive Fuels with 50 ppm/10 ppm Sulfur, without addressing
carcinogenic tiny particles( rspm) -PM 2.5 -and Nitrogen Oxides
emitted by Diesel Vehicles may not be of much use
Misuse
of Subsidized Diesel
The
Diesel
prices are subsidized for reasons of public policy-its
use for Transportation of Essential Goods & for Public Transport
and for Agricultural purposes. Allowing its use in the Private
Transport Sector is clearly a deliberate policy distortion. More than
40% of total Diesel consumption is reported to be misused by
Industry, Cell Towers, Captive Power Generators and Passenger Cars.
The fact that agricultural sector uses less than 12 per cent of the
country’s diesel consumption, busts the myth.
The
price differential between Petrol and Diesel, encouraged people to
gravitate towards diesel vehicles. More the use of diesel, more the
oil companies bleed. Worse, we all bleed because Diesel Emissions add
to toxic pollution in our Cities, which in turn, adds to ill health
and treatment costs. This is socialism of Indian style-Taxing the
Poor to Benefit the Rich.
Health
Hazards of Diesel
The
claim of Car manufacturers that the modern diesel vehicle is clean,
is far from true. Emission data shows current diesel cars emit seven
times more particulates and three to five times more nitrogen oxides
than petrol cars. There is sufficient evidence that tiny
particulates—PM 2.5—emitted from a diesel vehicle are toxic and
carcinogenic.
This
toxin is firmly associated with significant increase in cases of
asthma, lung diseases, chronic bronchitis and heart ailments.
Long-term exposure can cause lung cancer. The increased level of
nitrogen dioxide contributes to the formation of ozone, which, in
turn, damages our lungs. So be clear, diesel vehicles, however fancy,
are costing us our health.
Adverse
Impact on Climate Change
.Today,
Europe, which promoted diesel vehicles, is paying a heavy cost. It is
struggling to meet air quality standards, even though it has invested
heavily in the cleanest of fuels reducing sulphur levels to near-zero
and has fitted vehicles with every kind of anti-pollution devices
like particulate traps and de-NOx catalyst. Diesel also has higher
levels of black carbon, which is today understood to be a key
contributor to climate change. In the US, the Car Mecca, where
emission standards and price do not differentiate between fuels,
there is no market for Diesel Cars.
Adverse
Impact on Urban Air pollution
The
“Bhure Lal Committee” appointed by Hon'ble Supreme Court, to
study ambient air quality in NCT of Delhi, in its report submitted as
far back as 1999, stated that more than 90% of the Nitrogen Dioxide
and Respirable Particulate matter present is due to Diesel Emissions.
Other sources of Air Pollution is reported to be burning of waste
materials- Plastics- in open area.
The
Hon'ble
Supreme Court also imposed restrictions on plying of commercial
vehicles including taxis which are more than 15 years old as on
02-10-1998, in NCT of Delhi. Another serious source of air pollution
amongst the vehicular pollution is the 3 Wheelers, particularly that
are run on Diesel. What is applicable to NCT of Delhi, holds good for
many of Indian Urban Agglomerations
Why
Inaction & Indifference to Ground Realities ?
The
irony is that the Car Manufacturers struck a gold mine, when they
realised that they could sell more vehicles, if they could run them
on cheaper and subsidized Diesel fuel. Why do the Policy / Decision
Makers provide this perverse incentive to Diesel Car manufacturers to
pollute?
The
Government agencies know that the inflationary impact of raising
diesel price will be high; they know it will be opposed. But they use
this convenient cover to do nothing about the most glaring of
distortions—the use of the subsidized diesel fuel by the rich and
for private transport.
But
given the rising economic cost and air pollution, the option of doing
nothing is not acceptable any more. The options are either to link
the car price with emission standards or to ban production of
personal diesel vehicles. If this is not possible, then the
government should tax diesel vehicles to remove the fiscal distortion
in price and policy. The committee after committee has recommended
that this be done. But it is not done.
Conclusion
In
the light of the position explained above, the following are
suggested for consideration:
a)
15 to 25 % cess on sale price be imposed on diesel Cars, SUVs, in
addition to corresponding increase in Life-Tax imposed by the
respective
State Governments so as to compensate for the
subsidized diesel used
in Life-Time of Diesel Cars/SUVs.
b) The bulk users other than Railways and State Road Transport Corporations be charged be charged market determined Diesel Prices.
c)
Phase out all commercial vehicles including taxis, 3 wheelers, older
than 15 years, as on 31 st March 2015 onwards.
d)
The Goods Transport by Road be discouraged gradually, by making
Diesel expensive to the extent possible and to encourage goods
transport by energy efficient and Eco-friendly Railway Network, which
needs
to be encouraged by allocation of adequate funds, instead
of expanding
National Highway Network at the cost of Railways
e)
The subsidy burden on Kerosene for rural lighting purposes, can be
brought down, apart from avoiding health hazards of Kerosene, by
supplying stand alone Solar powered LED Lanterns, with a life span
of at least 5 years, for rural households through MNRE
Decouple Supply and Consumption
Both Energy and Economic Policies must share a least-cost , resource efficient emphasis. The current subsidized Supply-Side focus exacerbates the causes of energy waste. That energy-waste bleeds the Economy and the Society, particularly the unfortunate Have-Nots. The "Wise Energy" policy creates both healthier Economy and healthier Environment.
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