CHENNAI: Fuel prices in Tamil Nadu will go up by April, after Bharat Stage (BS) IV-compliant fuel becomes mandatory in the country. While the rest of the country is already adhering to BS-IV, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh are the only two states that are yet to fall in line.
Once fuel retailers move to BS-IV, the price of fuel will increase, said UV Mannur, executive director of Indian Oil Corporation, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, speaking to Express on the sidelines of Sakshan 17, Oil and Gas Conservation Mass Awareness Campaign that was launched in Chennai on Monday.
“Under BS-IV norms, the sulphur content in petrol and diesel will be reduced to 50 parts per million (PPM) - it was 150 ppm and 350 ppm for petrol and diesel respectively under BS-III norms,” he said.
Introduced in 2000, based on European regulations, Bharat Stage emission standards were set up by the Central government to regulate the output of air pollutants from internal combustion engine equipment, including motor vehicles. According to experts, the reduction in sulphur content will greatly lower air pollution levels caused by auto emissions.
Meanwhile, in a bid to conserve fuel, authorities are planning to observe ‘Bicycle Day’ on January 21 throughout the country. State transport secretary Chandrakant B Kamble, speaking at the campaign, highlighted the rise in the number of private vehicles, which form 60 per cent of the total number of vehicles. He said the government is looking to encourage the use of public transport to reduce the number of private vehicles.