The “mindless” move, of raising prices by Rs 3.14 per litre from midnight, will further widen the gap between petrol and diesel, and fan the lure for diesel cars, which offer a cheaper run for the money at the cost of environmental damage, CSE said in a media release.
“The government has been hiking petrol prices at regular intervals. But in doing this it is ignoring the severe public health impacts of ‘dieselisation’ in Indian cities, which are reeling under rising levels of killer particles, NOx and ozone,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, head of CSE’s air pollution control team.
Diesel cars are already 36 per cent of new car sales in India; the figure is expected to touch 50 per cent very soon, the CSE said, adding that what was even more worrying was that in the most popular compact car segment diesel cars are already half of all car sales.
“Cheap diesel is not only worsening the public health risk, but also encouraging more motorisation and congestion. It is ironic that while the fuel tax differential has been officially justified in the name of agriculture and freight, rich car owners have benefited more from it,” CSE said.
According the organisation, cars have already become the second biggest user of diesel and beneficiaries of the official fuel tax policy. Cars use up 15 per cent of the total diesel in the country – compared to 12 per cent by buses and agriculture each, 10 per cent by industry, and 6 per cent by the railways. Read More
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