After the 36-day-long CJP and student protests resulted in the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the Delhi Taxi and tourist transporters and Tour Operation Association have announced that they will protest against the implementation of ethanol-blended petrol. The protest march will take place on August 4, and the members of the association will march to the Parliament.
On Friday, Sanhjay Samrat, president of the transporters association, said, “Transport operators and vehicle owners from different parts of the country have reported reduced fuel efficiency, higher maintenance costs, and concerns regarding engine performance after the introduction of E20 fuel. Many vehicles manufactured before 2015 are not designed for 20 per cent ethanol blended petrol. This form of fuel is actually fit for new model vehicles”
“When people are paying for petrol, and the government increases the price of this fuel, why are we getting blended petrol? We are facing growing economic pressure due to regulatory operation challenges,” Samrat said while holding sugarcane.
The association said that through the protest march it will demand an independent scientific review of the ethanol blending policing involving vehicle owners, consumers, transport operators, automobile manufacturers, and technical experts.
In the press conference, Samrat listed the complaints vehicle owners and drivers have regarding the E20 fuel.
Drivers across the country have complained that the 20 per cent ethanol had reduced the mileage of the vehicles and increased the engine maintenance costs.
Association member Jitendra Bobby also objected to the speed limit of 80 kilometres per hour for commercial tourist vehicles. He said that it was affecting business, time and customer satisfaction.
Immediately after the CJP protest ended, netizens shifted their attention to the the E20 policy. Union minister for road transport and highways has repeatedly defended the E20 policy. Even before the CJP protests, the petrol blend was debated.
Gadkari, meanwhile, said that pure petrol would cost more after the policy was implemented. There are also speculations that the central government supported the ethanol mixing as Gadkari’s son was involved in ethanol production.
