MD MRPL rides the bus to work, Fuel Conservation drive is fullon in MRPL Mangalore

Mangalore: PP Upadhya, Managing Director of Mangalore Refinery & Petrochemicals Ltd, a schedule A subsidiary of ONGC, took the bus to work from Mangalore, yesterday.

We have followed the call given by our Petroleum Ministry to conserve as much fuel as possible, given the economic situation in our Nation.

As Public Sector Employees we serve our Nation and though we are refiners who sell fuel to oil marketing companies who in turn sell it to the customers, even at the risk of reducing our business we must put our Nation first", explained ShriUpadhya, who rode the bus alongwith 40 odd other employees from Mangalore to Kuthethoor and back.

From now on every Wednesday he will take the bus, Upadhya says. "On all days it may not be possible as work timings and pressures vary. But the will is there and save fuel we will"he added.

The Petroleum Minister ShriVeerappaMoily who himself took the metro last week, has written to every member company in Oil & Gas advising austerity and urging fuel conservation.

Post this and in line with the need of the hour, MRPL 's management took a conscious decision to urge everyone of their 1650 odd employees to take the bus once a week, car pool twice a week and walk, cycle to work and reduce fuel consumption for the rest of the working days.

They have also released a series of fuel conservation tips for their employees and families to follow.

Explains Vijay G Joshi, Director Refinery, MRPL, "As we have 24x7 working hours and work timings are staggered to support shift working, flexitimeetc, it is not possible to mandate car pooling or walking, but our Team is committed to the Nation and they have responded well to our call for fuel conservation . MD himself has led from the front by riding a bus."

Even Mr Joshi didnt drive to work as he usually does and the car parks inside the office, usually crowded, were found empty yesterday as almost all employees joined in the fuel conservation drive.

Fuel conservation tips from MRPL :

Drive steadily at 45-55 kmph. Avoid hard braking and jackrabbit kind of starts.Beyond 60mkph fuel efficieny drops.

Check tire pressure at least once a month,tire efficieny saves a great deal of fuel as per research.

Make sure your tires are properly inflated to prevent increased rolling resistance.Under-inflated tires can cause fuel consumption to increase by as much as 6%.

Select the right gear.Change up through the gears and into top gear as soon as possible without accelerating harder than necessary.

Service your vehicle regularly. According to the manufacturer's instructions. a poorly tuned engine can use up to 50% more fuel and produces up to 50% more emissions than one that is running properly.

Check the air filters and keep them clean. Dirty air filters can also cause your engine to run at less than peak efficiency Clogged filters can cause up to a 10% increase in fuel consumption.

Use the correct Engine Oil. Using the correct viscosity oil is important because higher viscosity oils have greater resistance to the moving parts of the engine, and therefore use fuel.

Monitor power accessories.Be sure to shut off all power-consuming accessories before turning off the ignition. That way, you decrease engine load the next time you start up. Items that plug into your vehicle's cigarette lighter, such as TV consoles for mini-vans and SUVs, can cause the alternator to work harder to provide electrical current. This adds a load to the engine and added load increases fuel use, decreasing your mileage.

Tighten your fuel tank cap. If you don't tighten up the fuel tank cap to the second click, fuel can evaporate.

Park in shady areas when possible. Besides helping to keep your car cool, which reduces the need for air conditioning, parking in the shade also minimizes the loss of fuel due to evaporation.

In older generation cars use your air conditioner sparingly. Using the a/c in older model cars during low speeds increases fuel consumption by 10%. In the latest model cars it is better to use the a/c while driving in higher speeds.

Plan your trip, whether you are going across town or across the country. Try to combine several errands, meetings, visits so that mutiple trips are avoided.

Carpool.

Avoid using the car/bike. Walk if you can or cycle. It saves money for you, for the Nation and improves your health.