Govt begins crackdown on vehicles using diesel mixed with kerosene

The two are mixed to offset cost, but kerosene burns less efficiently, resulting in higher emissions

Newdelhi:enforcement agencies in the city have now trained their guns on the use of adulterated fuel in vehicles that contributes to the city’s already toxic levels of pollution.

From Sunday, joint teams of the state transport department and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) launched a crackdown against vehicles suspected to be using adulterated fuel.

The drive was launched after the Supreme Court (SC) on Friday said there have been complaints that some vehicles mixed diesel with kerosene in Delhi and the National Capital Region. The SC, while directing agencies to initiate an intensive drive, also said that in cases where vehicles are found violating this norm, the driver/owner concerned apart, officers of respective departments will also be held responsible.

Following this, chief secretary Vijay Kumar Dev on Saturday called an emergency meeting and ordered the crackdown. To this effect, the transport department and DPCC cancelled all their enforcement personnel’s routine leaves (including Sundays) during the drive.

On the first day of the drive, the DPCC tested 28 samples of fuel from randomly selected commercial vehicles, including three-wheeled goods carriers.

“We collected fuel samples mainly from border areas like Anand Vihar and Mandoli in east Delhi during the drive on Sunday. We will be collecting samples randomly from busy stretches for over a week to check possible adulteration, particularly in areas identified as pollution hot spots,” said,” Arun Mishra, member secretary, DPCC.

According to the pollution control body’s officials, most of the possibly adulterated fuel is from NCR towns, as Delhi has fewer diesel-run vehicles in comparison to neighbouring states.

“From Monday, our focus will be on visibly polluting vehicles plying on city roads,” Mishra said.

The Delhi government had previously identified 13 pollution hot spots in the city. Of these, industrial areas will be the main focus area of the drive. The key areas include Wazirpur, Okhla, Dwarka, Mundka, Punjabi Bagh, Jahangirpuri, and Anand Vihar, which shares a border with Uttar Pradesh.

“DPCC has already tied up with at least two testing laboratories under the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), where samples collected during the drive will be sent for tests. We have also hired a panel of experts to assist in testing samples, as laboratories do not have the capacity to test these many samples,” he said.

Joint teams comprising officials from transport, traffic police and DPCC have been formed for the crackdown. “Action will also be taken against diesel-run vehicles coming from other states. This also includes diesel-run three-wheelers other than trucks, buses, taxis and even private vehicles,” Mishra added .

In December 2015, an engineer had filed a plea with the National Green Tribunal alleging that adulterated petrol and diesel was being sold at fuel stations in the capital. Following this, the green panel had directed the pollution watchdog and the ministry of petroleum and natural gas to carry out inspections.

KK Dahiya, special commissioner (transport) said the transport department has deputed 60 teams of at least 300 enforcement officers who started taking action from Saturday night itself.

“Diesel vehicles emitting smoke — a prima facie outcome of the use of adulterated diesel — will be checked and impounded immediately. Our teams have so far impounded 69 visibly polluting vehicles in less than 24 hours. The drive to impound such vehicles will continue till further orders,” he said.

When asked which department will be held accountable if kerosene and diesel is found to be mixed, the Delhi government said oil companies are tasked with periodically inspecting and conducting tests at all fuel stations. “They are also supposed to deploy mobile testing laboratories to check possible adulteration at the spot,” a senior official in the food and civil supplies department of the Delhi government said. The state food and civil supplies department is the nodal agency for all fuel stations and LPG dealers.

Many dealers resort to mixing kerosene in diesel because of the high price difference between the two fuels. At present, diesel is sold at around ₹65.80 per litre, while kerosene is priced at less than ₹50 in the open market for industrial activities.

Delhi was declared a kerosene-free city in 2014. However, neighbouring UP and Rajasthan still use the fuel in their public distribution system, at rates of less than ₹20 per litre. Officials said kerosene is still available in Delhi for industrial use.

The SC had said vehicular pollution adds to 28% of total pollution of Delhi. Of that 8% is created by trucks, all of which are run on diesel, 1% by tractors (diesel-run), 3% by buses (All-india tourist buses are diesel), 3% by cars, 7% by two- wheelers, 5% by three-wheelers, 1% by light commercial vehicles.