New Delhi: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said that commercial vehicles such as buses, taxis and rickshaws powered by alternative fuels such as "Ethanol, Methanol, Bio-diesel and CNG" will be exempted from the requirement of a permit.

The Minister for Road Transport and Highways was speaking at the 58th annual convention of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).

"I am happy to announce that we have decided that electric vehicles and all vehicles which operate on Ethanol, Methanol, Bio-diesel, CNG will not require a permit," Gadkari said.

The minister told the convention that the move will open more business opportunities for the industry. According to the minister, transport ministers of all the state governments have given their unanimous support to the criteria.

"Now, the states will implement it and there will be no need for any permits for electric auto rickshaw, buses and taxis...."

Besides, Gadkari informed the convention that the central government is going to cancel the requirement of speed governors.

"We don't need it as we are developing good roads. There is no need to limit the speed artificially," he said. In addition, the minister asked the automobile industry to offer better engines and produce high performance vehicles.





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Udupi (Karnataka), April 8 (PTI): The Private Bus Operators’ Association in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts demanded a 15 per cent hike in fares for private buses operating across all sectors, including national highway routes.

Association President Kuilady Suresh Nayak said here on Tuesday that they have written to the State Transport Department regarding the demand.

According to him, following the recent diesel price hike by the state government, private bus operators have been incurring losses on all routes in the two coastal districts.

"The recent diesel price hike by the state government has had a cascading effect on bus operators, particularly private ones," Nayak said.

On April 1, the Karnataka government increased the sales tax on diesel to 21.17 per cent, effective from Tuesday.

As a result, diesel prices have risen by Rs 2 per litre, bringing the retail price to Rs 91.02.

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