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MUMBAI, Feb. 6

BY March, car owners across the four major metros — Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai — will be able to access auto LPG in over 50 filling stations, according to plans drawn up by public sector oil majors.

By 2003-04, all three oil majors — Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum — plan to introduce over 228 filling stations at existing retail outlets in the metros followed by State capitals and major cities such as Hyderabad, Bangalore, Pune, Ahmedabad, etc., said a senior oil industry official.

"Unlike compressed natural gas, which requires an investment of about Rs 1.5 crore to set up infrastructure at one filling station, LPG needs around Rs 40-50 lakh," the official said. The companies plan a cumulative investment of about Rs 120 crore in setting up the stations.

Also LPG, which has been recommended in the Union Government's Auto Fuel Policy, is more readily available unlike CNG. "There are about five to six public and private sector LPG handling ports in the country if we need to import the fuel," he said.

The oil majors are awaiting approval for LPG conversion kits from the Auto Research Institute in Pune. The type approvals, expected "shortly," are likely to kick-start the production of LPG-compliant cars by Hindustan Motors and Daewoo Motors, said the official.

Both auto manufacturers are said to have applied for type approvals for four to six engine types. And the kits will cost around Rs 25,000 for multi-fuel injection systems, the official said.

Fitting the conversion kits on cars with diesel or petrol engines will cost about Rs 18,000 to Rs 20,000 per kit.

The Union Government recommended auto LPG, along with compressed natural gas (CNG), as environment-friendly fuel in the Auto Fuel Policy drafted according to recommendations of the Dr R.A. Mashelkar committee. The committee suggests the use of liquefied petroleum gas as fuel in major cities as per the Euro and Bharat fuel emission norms.

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