E-Paper
UP Congress chief writes to PM, seeks probe into ethanol-blended fuel policy
“The government appears to be moving towards policies like E85 and E100, following E20. This has reinforced the perception that the government’s sole priority is to push this policy forward at any cost, while grossly disregarding the concerns of the owners of over 35 crore registered vehicles in India and ignoring the public interest,” the letter stated.
Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai on Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking an impartial investigation into the scientific, economic, environmental and consumer aspects of the Centre’s ethanol-blended fuel policy, alleging that the concerns of vehicle owners and consumers have been ignored.
“The government appears to be moving towards policies like E85 and E100, following E20. This has reinforced the perception that the government’s sole priority is to push this policy forward at any cost, while grossly disregarding the concerns of the owners of over 35 crore registered vehicles in India and ignoring the public interest,” the letter stated.
Referring to Union ministers, Rai said, “Dharmendra Pradhan had to be removed from the ministry of education due to the anger of the nation’s youth over exam paper leaks. Now, given the issues surrounding E20 petrol blending, it is undoubtedly the turn of Nitin Gadkari and Hardeep Singh Puri to face consequences.”
In his letter, Rai stated that he had previously urged the government to take necessary action, prioritising complete transparency, independent scientific testing, and the public interest.
He said the policy was introduced with claims that it would reduce dependence on imported crude oil, benefit farmers and provide relatively cheaper fuel. However, he alleged that ethanol-blended petrol is now being sold at nearly the same price as regular petrol earlier.
Rai further alleged that while petrol pumps were previously held accountable for fuel adulteration, there is now no clear accountability for technical issues or reduced mileage arising from ethanol blending carried out by oil companies.
