Greater effort must for green tourism
On May 10, when the National Green Tribunal (NGT) eased curbs it had imposed on tourism activities in
Rohtang Pass in the past two years, it brought relief to the local people. Over 80 percent of those living
in villages and valleys around the high mountain pass of Himachal Pradesh depend on tourism for a
living. But a sense of uncertainty persists.
The prime reason for this is the state’s failure to implement an NGT order that directs it to plan a
transition to an eco-friendly transport system on the 51 km stretch, which connects important tourist
destinations and is located at an elevation of 3,978 metres on the Himalayas.
The NGT directive is based on reports that say increasing footfall due to tourism has hastened the
melting of glaciers and snowcapped mountains in the region. As an immediate measure to safeguard the
fragile area, NGT in 2014 banned tourist activities like paragliding, snow scooter riding and all-terrain
vehicles, horse riding and renting of local traditional dresses for photography.
A year later, it restricted the number of diesel and petrol vehicles entering the Pass to 1,000 a day,
including 600 petrol and 400 diesel vehicles.
Estimates show that around 7,000 vehicles used to ply the Pass in a day during the peak tourism season
between June and August. While the state is yet to introduce an eco-friendly transport system, on May
18 it asked NGT to lift all restrictions on tourism activities in Rohtang Pass.
Why the reluctance
Asper the NGT order, the Himachal Pradesh government was to set up two CNG stations along the
route—one at Tahliwal in Una district and the other in Manali district—and introduce CNG buses by May
2016. Once operational, these would be the world’s highest CNG transit system. But little has
materialised so far. The state government is acquiring land for Tahliwal station, while Manali station has
not moved beyond the planning stage.
The biggest hurdle is who will fund the transition and how. “No thought has gone into where the funds
would come from in case assistance from the Centre does not materialise,” says Sanjay Gupta,Additional
Secretary-in- charge of transport, Himachal Pradesh. The expected capital expenditure for the two CNG
stations is Rs 17.5 crore.
In December 2015, the state said that it can afford only the cost of setting up the plants, and asked the
NGT to arrange for a subsidy on the fuel. Later, it said that it cannot even afford setting up the CNG
stations. To the state’s relief, the Centre has agreed to lend its support, provided the state government
submits a business model. But the state is yet to submit one.
Feasibility of the green fuel and the stations is another concern the state has not assessed properly. The
Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) which was asked by NGT to assess the costs of transition says the
costs can be reduced considerably by setting up multiple CNG plants along the route.
But the state has not even asked them to assess the option. S P Sharma, chief operating officer, GAIL,
says the government is not considering the fact that the station at Manali would be open only for six
months when Rohtang Pass is accessible. Moreover, there are other costs and difficulties involved in
constructing the pipelines in such a terrain.
To determine the efficacy of CNG vehicles in high altitudes, the state government should have
conducted dedicated trials, but so far it has not. The Himachal Pradesh government ran only two single
journey trials of CNG buses, while NGT had directed it to run a month long trial.
According to a feasibility report by GAIL, CNG along the Manali-Rohtang Pass route would cost
approximately Rs 98 per kg compared to Rs 37.20 per kg in Delhi. The state claims that these estimates
are exaggerated.
France’s Perrenot Chooses 250 New Stralis NP for Fleet
Last week, Iveco, an Italian industrial vehicle manufacturer, launched the New Stralis NP at its
manufacturing base in Madrid, Spain. On the same day of the international launch, French
transportation and logistics company Perrenot Group placed an order for 250 of these natural gas
powered trucks — the largest fleet of natural gas trucks in Europe according to Pierre Lahutte, Iveco
Brand President.
Iveco sees such a significant order as a turning point in the transition towards sustainability in road
freight transport in Europe and validation of the company’s vision as a pioneer in the natural gas
industrial vehicle market for the past two decades. With the natural gas powered Daily, Eurocargo and
Stralis, Iveco offers product that now covers all market sectors – from urban distribution to international
transport.
Founded in 1945, Perrenot Group (formerly known as UNIC) has grown to be one of France’s leading
transport brands across all sectors (mass distribution, long haulage, construction, bulk, containers,
logistics, etc.), both nationally and internationally. Iveco is the dominant brand in Perrenot Group’s fleet.
The Group was among the first in Europe to use biomethane-powered Iveco tractors in their operations
in 2012. To this day, these remain the only vehicles capable of contributing to better air quality,
drastically reducing CO2 emissions, and halving noise levels.
In 2013, having tested other alternative energy solutions, Iveco’s natural gas technologies proved to be
the natural choice for Perrenot Group with the purchase of the first CNG refrigerated transporters
fuelled by liquid nitrogen. In 2014, the Group took yet another innovative step, commissioning the first
LNG tractors in France.
Jacky Perrenot, President and founder of Perrenot Group, stated: “Today we are taking a key step in our
development thanks to Iveco’s advanced natural gas technology – and in particular the brand’s new 400
hp engine. Combined with the dual LNG tank configuration, which increases the tractor’s range to 1500
km, this opens up new business opportunities for us, especially in long-distance transport operations.
The exceptional performance of the new Stralis NP confirms we made the right choice with Iveco’s
natural gas technology as the best alternative to diesel fuel, both economically and environmentally.”
Philippe Givone, President of the Perrenot Group Transport holding company, added: “For the first time
ever, these new Iveco natural gas trucks won’t be assigned to missions specific to them – instead, they
will replace diesel tractors on current missions, with no need for special adaptations. This is a major
change in our approach to freight transport – a change Iveco has seen coming for a long time now!”
Pierre Lahutte, Iveco Brand President, concluded: “With this historic order Perrenot Transport will be
running the largest fleet of natural gas trucks in Europe. For its part, Iveco has reached a further
milestone in its leadership in natural gas technologies for sustainable road transport. We are very proud
of Perrenot Group’s trust in Iveco, which is the result of the unique partnership that has allowed our two
groups to write a new important chapter in the history of sustainable transport in Europe.”
https://www.ngvglobal.com/blog/frances-perrenot- chooses-250- new-stralis- np-for- fleet-0625
