The petroleum ministry was conscious of the need for environmental preservation and had chalked out a plan for the augmentation of production of unleaded petrol, the minister said.

He said unleaded petrol was already being supplied to the Taj Trapezium Zone in keeping with the Supreme Court directive for the control of pollution in the area.

"Natural gas was also being supplied to industrial units in Agra but because of the foundry furnaces not being upto ISI specification they were not able to make effective use of natural gas," Gangwar said.

Efforts were being made to make the country self- sufficient in petroleum and for this new refineries were being set up at Bina, Allahabad and in Punjab and offshore drilling intensified, he said, adding, forty-eight fields had been selected for exploration.