Govt to mandate flex-fuel engines in vehicles

Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari told the media that he will issue an order in the next three to four months making it compulsory for car manufacturers to introduce flex-fuel engines in vehicles. Gadkari said he hopes to see the country get rid of petrol and diesel consumption in his lifetime by shifting to locally-produced ethanol. An order is to be issued in the next three to four months, in which carmakers will be urged to make flex-fuels engines, he said. He has urged TVS motor and Bajaj companies to introduce flex-fuel engines in their vehicles, and also directed them not to approach him until they do so, Gadkari said. Flex-fuel is an alternative fuel produced from a combination of gasoline and methanol or ethanol. In Pune, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated three ethanol pumps, he said. The government would like to urge Ajit Pawar to take up the work of establishing multiple ethanol pumps in Pune, as well as in western Maharashtra districts as it would support the sugar industry and farmers, he said. Pune has become a very congested city, and there was a requirement for its decentralisation, Gadkari said. Gadkari said that he would like to appeal to Ajit Pawar to make air, water, and sound pollution-free in Pune, and the Pune-Bengaluru highway is also being constructed. Decentralisation is required to get rid of congestion, traffic issues, and pollution. The minister also called for adopting a low-cost broad gauge metro line to join Pune with other western Maharashtra districts and recommended roping in private travel operators to manage them. Image SourceAlso read: SAIL first mover in gas-to-ethanol plant