NEW DELHI, May 22: Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), the motorist's dream fuel, designed to keep him road-happy for the price of a little more than air, will soon be more than a pipedream.

A cabinet note drafted by the surface transport ministry is already before the union cabinet, proposing use of LPG as fuel for automobiles. Highly placed sources in government told The Financial Express that the bona fide use of LPG in vehicles already had the nod of the Prime Minister's Office and was simply awaiting a green signal from the cabinet.

The thriving population of LPG-run vehicles need not live in fear for long, for the centre plans to bend the rules that make the practice, well, not quite lawful now. The industry ministry is already in the process of amending the gas cylinder usage rules for the oil industry.The surface transport ministry has set in motion a process to amend the Motor Vehicles Act and the petroleum ministry will soon amend the Gas Control Order.

A task force has been constituted to work out the modalities for a distribution system for the new motor fuel and for retro-fitting vehicles meant to be driven on gas. The task force comprises representatives of the oil industry, apart from representatives of the ministries of petroleum, surface transport and environment.

The task force will also check misuse of the LPG cylinder for motor vehicles, which will slimmer versions of the cylinders in the kitchen. The cylinders will actually be attachments of the retro-fitted vehicles.

According to sources working on the project in the surface transport ministry, the conversion system will cost the automobile owner just Rs 10,000. The retro-fitted vehicle could at the convenience of the motorist, be run on both petrol and LPG. The converted vehicle will be able to switch to LPG, when ever petrol runs short.

Petroleum ministry additional secretary Devi Dayal said the LPG run vehicles could become a reality within the next five months. The necessary `standards' for marketing the gas as an automotive fuel had already been set, he said.

The proposal has actually been in the air since last year, when the ministry of petroleum and natural gas set up two committees to examine the feasibility of using LPG as automobile fuel. The panels studied the technical standards and the logistics necessary and submitted their reports in January this year.

Devi Dayal, who was the driving force behind the scheme during the last few months, said the infrastructure required for the project already existed. Both the private sector, now running a parallel market in LPG for domestic use and national oil companies, will be allowed to set up filling stations for LPG-guzzling cars.

Proposals for filling stations are already on the drawing board. Sources said that many oil companies had plans for setting up distribution centres all over the country. Some companies, like Essar Oil had already decided on a distribution centre, they said. Surface transport ministry sources said permission would be given for a large number of LPG dispensation stations.

Ministry brass have friendly neighbourhood filling stops for the magic fuel in mind, for they do not want the eco-friendly gas to become hard-to-get like that other healthy fuel, unleaded petrol.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.