CM
Launches Pilot Project
Chief Minister
N.Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday launched an autokit pilot project of the Shri Shakti LPG
Limited for running autorickshaws on LPG.
Referring to Shri Shakti LPG Group Chairman DV Manohar's new venture on the eve of the group's silver
jubilee celebrations here.Naidu said that the State Government should think of separating
business transactions from the State's administration and hand it over to people like
Manohar, so that the Government could give good administration to the people.
About the pilot project Naidu said that though the
amendment to the Motor Vehicle Act was pending for over a year regarding permission fof
LPG run vehicles, the Shri Shakti group had started the project after getting
certification from two statutory certifying agencies, viz, the Automotive Research Association of India (ARIA) and Vehicular
Research Development Establishment (VRDE) and with high court instructions of running the
project for 90 days as a pilot project. He said he would take up the matter with the
Central Government and would also examine sales tax exemptions on LPG as auto fuel and on
conversion kit.
However, the Chief Minister said that once the LPG-run autorickshaws were
proved as cost effective, people would never think of conversion.This help in reducing the
vehicular pollution levels, which amounted to 63 per cent of the total pollution, he said.
Dattatreya said that in any mega city vehicular pollution was a major problem. He said
that in the city already 48,000 autos were on the road and if their number was increased,
there was greater danger of pollution by them.
Hence, to reduce the pollution levels the Chief Minister should take up the project of light rail
transit system with the Central Government, he suggested."If the matter is taken up
by the Chief Minister , then I would use my good offices at the centre to generate funds
from within and outside the country for the purpose," he promised.
Transport Minister BV Mohan Reddy said that the Shri Shakti Group
should extend their technology of LPG to other vehicles like cars and buses, to reduce the
level of pollution.
Earlier, Group Chairman Manohar made a presentation on the evolution of
the group and alternative uses of LPG.Referring to the autokit, he said that the Shri
Shakti gas and ARAI had together developed for the first time in India the technology for
running three wheelers with two-stroke engines on LPG and enjoy joint patent rights for
the same. |
