New Delhi: Indian Oil said on Tuesday that oil marketing companies (OMCs) have started supplying the ultra-clean BS-VI or Euro VI grade petrol and diesel (BS-VI grade fuel) in the cities adjoining the national capital from Monday. Delhi had become the first city in the country in April 2018 to have switched from Euro-IV grade petrol and diesel to Euro-VI fuels, but cities in the national capital region (NCR) had been left out back then. The rest of the country is expected to enter the league from April 2020. IOC said in a series of tweets, "Oil companies keep up BS-VI grade fuel (Euro-VI) promise! 12 NCR districts and city of Agra converted to BS-VI green fuels from today."

Which districts are on the list?

The change was implemented by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas across 12 contiguous districts of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, including Agra. Petrol and diesel containing 10 parts per million or ppm is now being supplied in Alwar, Bharatpur, Karauli and Dholpur in Rajasthan and Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar, Baghpat, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Shamli and Agra in Uttar Pradesh. Gurugram and Faridabad were also slated to get BS-VI grade fuel from April 1 but the plan has been postponed.

The timeline

It was in 2015 that India had decided to switch to Euro-VI emission norm compliant petrol and diesel from April 2020. The country was until recently using Euro-IV grade fuels. Euro-VI grade fuel is billed to be a greener version of its counterpart because it contains 10 ppm of sulphur as against 50 ppm. While 2020 was the deadline for the rest of the country, Delhi was given preference because of the thick toxic smog that engulfs the capital every year at the onset of winters. "BS-VI fuels would be supplied through 1,630 fuel stations of the three OMCs (IOC, BPCL and HPCL) in Delhi and NCR region," IOC said in a tweet.