The government may include specific provisions for the use of green fuels in the amended Motor Vehicle Act to address pollution issues.

It aims at updating road safety and related issues such as issuance of drivers’ licences and permits through amendments to the “obsolete” Motor Vehicles Act.

During a discussion on the Merchant Shipping (Amendment) Bill, 2013, in the Rajya Sabha today, Road Transport and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari said the amended Motor Vehicle Act would include specifications on environment-friendly fuels such as bio-gas, bio-diesel, ethanol and electrical to curb pollution due to burning of fossil fuels.

The use of fossil fuels, including the release of pollutants such as ground-level ozone and sulphur dioxide from sulphur impurities in fossil fuels, affects the earth’s biosphere. In particular, their burning releases carbon dioxide, a powerful greenhouse gas and one of the leading man-made causes of pollution and global warming.

At present, it is mandatory for oil companies to mix 5% ethanol in petrol. But the government is considering raising its level to “10 % -15%”. Industry insiders say ethanol mixing is just about 2% largely due to resistance from the oil and automobile industry.

Sources say once it becomes mandatory by law, the industry will have little choice but to comply. In particular, the mandatory ethanol blending will also benefit the sugar industry.

Besides these, the amended Act also proposes steep fines running into lakhs of rupees for offenders. Recently, Gadkari said the new Road Transport and Safety Bill, which would replace the obsolete Motor Vehical Act,1988, would allow drivers’ licences and permits to be issued online but only after a stringent test.