Jan 05 2015 : The Times of India (Delhi)

Pollution Solution





Swachh Bharat also means Swachh Vatavaran, start discouraging diesel

Showing up the continuing constraints on deregulation in India, S government has raised excise duty on fuel three times since November ­ violating the spirit of deregulation to meet its budgetary challenges, instead of wholly passing through the drop in global prices. This kind of interference also undermined both UPA and the previous NDA government's commitments to price deregulation. Meanwhile, nothing much is being done about a truly foul distortion in the fuel price market ­ higher excise duties on petrol make diesel look more attractive, even though diesel is much the worse polluter as it is easier to adulterate.Helped along by this differential diesel passenger vehicles reportedly accounted for 49% of all new cars sold last year across India ­ up from 20% just a few years ago, even as data about their polluting impact is piling up. An Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority report linked a spurt in diesel cars to the premature death of thousands of children in Delhi. In winter, signs of a growing crisis are palpable in the capital and other north Indian cities. A low-hanging shroud of smog impairs visibility , chokes lungs; children are particularly traumatised by asthma, respiratory illnesses and hospitalisations.
Votaries of low diesel prices call it the poor person's fuel. But there is nothing stopping the wealthy from taking advantage of India's fuel pricing anomaly . After all private cars use a lot more diesel than buses or agriculture ­ an overwhelming majority of SUVs are running on diesel. In India's growing car market, every day's delay in discouraging diesel noxiously expands how long the country will be captive to its pollution. Swachh Bharat ought to include Swachh Vatavaran, clean air, in its definition. It's imperative to level excise duties across petrol and diesel.