New Delhi: The murder of Indian Oil Corporation employee S Manjunath, shows just how high are the stakes in the business of fuel adulteration.
The fuel mafia has spread its stronghold far and wide and adulteration is rampant.
While public pressure has helped improve the situation in capital New Delhi, elsewhere the menace is becoming difficult to control.
According to a study done by Centre for Science and Research (CSE), a Delhi-based NGO, just about anything ? from drycleaning liquid to paint solvent are used as fuel adulterants.
They can cause engine seizure and emit dangerous pollutants.
Experts blame the government for using outdated methods for fuel testing and not allowing the installation of new detector systems.
"The new detector system should be used. Though Hyderbad has actually requested for it, the government has not allowed them to use it till now," Anumita Roy Choudhary, Executive Director, CSE says.
Apart from this, the experts also maintain that the penalties imposed for fuel adulteration are very low and do not act as a deterrent for the flourishing fuel mafia.
"From the time when we did our first study, the penalty has actually been reduced from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 20,000 for the first crime." Choudhary laments.
With the penalty being abysmally low and no punitive law in place, the adulteration mafia is likely to thrive till the time Government decides to wake up.
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