Govt urged to bring in mandatory fuel efficiency norms

New Delhi, Sep 13 (UNI) International environmental NGO Greenpeace has petitioned the government for coming out early with a mandatory fuel efficiency standard for the country, an objective included in the National Action Plan for Climate Change.

Greenpeace activists or as they called themselves 'climate cops doubling up as postmen' have delivered 22,000 petitions signed by car owners and citizens across the country to the Director General of Bureau of Energy Efficiency(BEE) demanding mandatory fuel economy standard.

Such a standard would not only ensure energy security but also be an effective weapon to fight climate change, which was posing the biggest threat to the survival of humans on the planet, the petition, delivered yesterday, stressed.

Greenpeace climate campaigner Brikesh Singh said here they totally disagreed with the BEE idea of voluntary norms. He also demanded that the process of consultation the BEE was having on the issue of fuel efficiency standards should be made transparent and public so that citizens could understand why a legislation that has been emphasised by the National Action plan and the integrated energy policy was taking so long to be implemented.

He said the BEE, being the nodal implementaing agency, should come out with a legislation that should put the onus on auto manufacturers to deploy appropriate technology to reduce CO2 emissions.

''When the world is pulling up its socks to set ambitious targets and is working deligently to cut CO2 emissions, the BEE should exercise the power and authority mandated by the Constitution and enforce mandatory fuel standards in order to come out as a clear winner,'' he said.

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