Govt taking steps to stop adulteration of petrol, kerosene

New Delhi, Nov 28 (UNI) The Government is streamlining the Jan Kerosene Pariyojana (JKP), set up to eliminate the diversion of PDS kerosene for adulteration, after undertaking a review of the innovative pilot project, the Rajya Sabha was informed today.

Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dinsha Patel said in a written reply that the JKP aims at radically revamping the PDS kerosene distribution network to ensure that this heavily subsidised product is actually made available to intended beneficiaries.

The project was launched on October 2, 2005 for a period of six months. Based on the diagnostic study conducted by the National Council of Applied Economic Research and a review by the Government, it was initially extended up to June 30, 2006 and again up to September 30, 2006. It has now been further extended up to June 30, 2007.

Mr Dinsha said, "the possibility of adulteration of petrol/diesel by some unscrupulous elements cannot be ruled out due to huge price difference between petrol/diesel and various adulterants available in the market and the easy miscibility of these products with petrol/diesel." Replying to a question regarding the steps taken to stop diversion of subsidised kerosene meant to be sold through PDS, he said despite the killing of IOC officer S Manjunath, there was no let up in the efforts to tackle the menace of adulteration including installation of global positioning system to monitor the position of tank trucks, introduction of new tamper proof tank-truck locking systems and canalising of kerosene through oil marketing companies.

Smuggled high speed diesel worth Rs 35.74 lakh was seized by the Department of Revenue, Finance Ministry, during April-October 2005-06, up from Rs 2.42 lakh in 2003-04, the Minister said.

The number of cases involving smuggling of hsd into India from the coasts of Gujarat and Maharashtra had also risen from two in 2003-04 to four in the first half of 2005-06, he said.

Seven people had been arrested in 2004-05 and 11 arrests were made in 2005-06.

Mr Patel said to meet the supply of LPG demand in the country, in 2005-06 the public sector oil companies had imported 2,449 TMT of LPG while indigenous production had touched 7,526 TMT.

In April-September 2006-07, the LPG imports had reached 737 TMT while domestic production totalled 4,103 TMT.

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