The Hindu Business Line : Kerala to hike tax on `white' kerosene

THE State Government is considering the possibility of raising the tax on `white' kerosene as part of its efforts to curb fuel adulteration and the resulting revenue losses,Mr R. Balakrishna Pillai, State Minister for Transport, has said. An announcement on this can be expected over the next few days, he added.

Inaugurating `Clean Kerala - Clean Fuel', a workshop on fuel adulteration in the city today, the Minister said his Department recently initiated several measures to curtail the adulteration of fuel, particularly diesel with `white' kerosene.

The State's Motor Vehicles Department had already started testing the fuel used in transport vehicles in districts known to have an organised adulteration racket, he said. This initiative would be intensified and extended to other parts of the State, he added.

Another measure being contemplated by the Government is setting up automobile pollution testing laboratories operated by the Motor Vehicles Department, said Mr Pillai.

The Government should also look at other measures such as stricter enforcement of the rules with regard to import and usage of `white' kerosene and the inter-State transfer of this product, he added.

Similarly, the Government should consider encouraging the use of natural gas as an automobile fuel.

For instance, all newly manufactured cars should come with the option of using both petrol and natural gas as fuels, he said, adding that such measures would not only help reduce pollution but would also curtail fuel adulteration.

Adulteration of fuel is not an issue to be tackled by the Government alone; it must involve all sections of society, said Mr G. Karthikeyan, Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Government of Kerala.

Addressing the gathering, he emphasised the need for a multi-pronged strategy to combat fuel adulteration. Strict enforcement accompanied by widespread awareness programmes must be a part of this, he added.

Dr G. Prasanna Kumar, Director-General, Anti-Adulteration Cell, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India, made a presentation on `Fuel adulteration in Kerala — Causes and remedies'.

Organised by the Anti-Adulteration Council of India and the Anti-Adulteration Cell of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, the one-day workshop attracted some 75-odd participants from across Kerala. Two technical sessions followed the inaugural session.

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