NEW DELHI: Stepping up his campaign against the rollout of E20 fuel, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal Saturday announced a march to PM’s residence Tuesday to submit petitions against the ethanol-blended fuel programme, while demanding that consumers be given the option to choose betw-een pure petrol and E20 at fuel stations.Addressing AAP’s ‘National Townhall Against E20’ at Constitution Club, Kejriwal alleged Centre had “imposed” ethanol-blended fuel on consumers without adequate consultation and claimed it was causing financial losses to vehicle owners. He said petitions would be collected Monday, before a delegation of about 100 people marches to PM’s residence the following day.Kejriwal placed three demands before Centre — provide both pure petrol and E20 at fuel stations, price E20 lower than pure petrol, and reduce petrol prices to below Rs 84 per litre. He argued that consumers should be free to decide which fuel they wish to purchase.Claiming govt has repeatedly maintained E20 is safe for vehicles, Kejriwal challenged Centre to make public the scientific studies supporting the policy. “Govt keeps saying studies have found E20 does not damage vehicles. If such studies exist, they should place the reports in the public domain,” he said, adding that several people had shared experiences of reduced mileage and vehicle problems during the town hall.He also alleged govt was only delaying the introduction of higher ethanol blends like E25 and E30 until the controversy surrounding E20 subsides. “There are no studies going on. They are simply waiting for the issue to die down. Once it settles, they will bring E25, E30 and continue increasing the ethanol content,” Kejriwal claimed, advising consumers to opt for electric vehicles until E100-compatible vehicles become commercially available.At the town hall, several owners, mechanics, delivery workers and experts claimed E20 had affected vehicle performance, increased maintenance costs and reduced mileage. Among them was a couple who commute daily from Delhi to Gurgaon. The husband said their 2014 petrol car earlier delivered 14 km per litre but now gives about 9 km per litre, significantly increasing monthly fuel expenses. His wife, who works in the automobile sector, claimed dealerships were receiving complaints from owners of newly-purchased vehicles regarding mileage and performance, but employees had no clear answers to offer.
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Motorcycle mechanic Aamir Khan, who has been repairing petrol vehicles for over a decade at Bhalswa Dairy, claimed he had witnessed a rise in complaints, particularly from owners of older BS-III and BS-IV vehicles. He advised owners to keep their fuel tanks relatively full to minimise air and moisture accumulation inside the tank.Dr Anupam Saini, an environmental scientist from DU, questioned the environmental benefits of ethanol, saying any assessment should account for fertiliser use, water consumption, land-use change and the overall carbon footprint of ethanol production rather than tailpipe emissions alone.
