Amid growing concerns over the impact of E20 fuel on vehicles currently on the road, a citizens’ advocacy group Team Bharat met officials from the Union Petroleum Ministry, urging the government to continue supplying E10 petrol (petrol with 10% ethanol) for vehicles designed to use it, even as it demanded that pure petrol with no ethanol blending be made available at all fuel stations at affordable prices.
The citizens’-advocacy group, founded by political commentator and observer Tehseen Poonawalla, put forth the demands in a meeting with Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri.
Additionally, they have also called for instituting a mechanism and rules to assess how vehicles may have been damaged because of the blended fuel, along with procedures to address the grievances.
Making it clear that Team Bharat has not called for a complete rollback of the E20 fuel, Mr. Poonawalla said “we are aiming for what is possible. The government has come forward to discuss the concerns, we are thus striving for a middle-ground acceptable to all.”
The advocacy group also raised concerns about a potential conflict of interest allegedly involving Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari in relation to the overall blending programme.
