Update auto fuel policy, say experts

Laws have to be reviewed and updated for the country to win the battle against air pollution from vehicles, experts said at a seminar.

According to them, India has to follow China in updating its policies, raising the standards and adopting steps to cut vehicular pollution.

They were speaking at the ‘Civic forum on clean vehicles and fuels—Opportunities and challenges’ organised by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board on Monday.

Rajendra Kumar Pachauri of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), in a video message, said there was need to look at the determinants of air quality.

Arbinda Mishra, earth science and climate change division of TERI, said one of the biggest drawbacks of India’s auto fuel policy was that cities and tier-2 cities had different sets of rules.

“It gives cities more stringent laws and relaxes them in villages and tier-2 cities... The policy has not been progressive in its approach and a much more stringent approach is required,” he said.

Speaking on cleaner fuels and improved vehicular technologies, San Francisco-based Allan Lloyd of the International Council on Clean Transportation, said India was at least six to seven years behind in its emission standards.

There is a lot of opportunity for improvement by shifting to electric driving. However, it is better to go in for renewable sources of energy than coal- based electricity that comes with its own set of problems, he said. “China has over a 100 million e-bikes and is fast growing. India has scope in this regard,” he said.