Car India Turns 21
This month, Car India celebrates its 21st anniversary. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our readers and manufacturers for their support over the past two decades. We would not be celebrating this milestone without their wholehearted support.
Readers and manufacturers get to know the editor and the editorial team; however, they never have the opportunity to interact with the designers, the copy editor, and the marketing team, all of whom work tirelessly throughout the year to bring this magazine out every month. I want to thank all of them.
Ethanol blending is facing a lot of flak, with people from all walks of life complaining about a drop in fuel economy and the necessity of having to change the fuel system components. Not just car owners, petrol pump owners are also complaining, especially during this rainy season. Already there is considerable moisture in the air and, to make matters worse, water seepage in the underground petrol tanks causes the stored ethanol to turn into water. A telling example was that of a petrol pump on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway at Khopoli, where water entered the underground petrol tanks, due to which several cars broke down and the petrol pump had to be shut down for over a week.
The ethanol policy is not suitable for India because we are a water-deficient country. Our groundwater levels are depleting, and all the crops used for making ethanol require a lot of water. This means an ecological disaster. Unless and until we make ethanol from waste material, we are going to be in trouble.
Once again, I would like to thank all our readers and the manufacturers for their unstinting support. Take care and drive safely.
EDITOR – ASPI BHATHENA
