IMPROVEMENT IN QUALITY OF PETROL
AND DIESEL
Lok
Sabha
Shri Ram Naik, Minister
of Petroleum and Natural Gas informed the Lok Sabha while replying
a question that several measures have been taken by the public
sector oil companies to improve the quality of petrol and diesel
in the country during the past few years. This includes phasing
out of lead from petrol, reducing sulphur content in petrol and
diesel, increasing the octane number of petrol and cetane number
of diesel and introducing the benzene content limit in petrol.
The investment made by the oil companies to improve the quality
of petrol and diesel have been of the order of Rs. 10,000 crores
including around Rs. 2,430 crores during the past three years.
Shri Naik added that
the improved quality of petrol and diesel is being made available
throughout the country. Further, petrol and diesel with ultra
low sulphur content (0.05% ) which comply with Euro-II norms,
is available in four metropolitan cities and Hyderabad/Secundarabad.
He informed that this fuel has also been introduced in Bangalore,
Ahmedabad, Agra, Pune, Kanpur and Surat from 1.4.2003. Reply to
supplementary question, the Minister informed the House that to
supply the Euro-II compliant petrol and diesel throughout the
country, oil companies would make investment of Rs. 19,536 crores
up to the year 2005.
