The Telegraph sat in on a 10-second demonstration by the Auto Bachao Andolan on how to convert a supposedly mono-fuel auto from LPG to katatel, the toxic cocktail that was widely used in the banned two-stroke vehicles and made them poison-belchers.

The auto that was rigged to run on katatel is the environment-friendly version supposed to replace the banned two-stroke ones.

The demo on Tuesday afternoon at Hazra drew loud cheers from the auto lobby. The exercise proved that machines may be modified easily but without a crackdown and constant monitoring, the katatel mindset could continue to vitiate the air we breathe.

the MAKER

“If somebody wants to abuse any engine, who can stop them?” says N.V. Hariharan, the national manager, sales, of Bajaj Auto Ltd, which has supplied around 300 four-stroke “single-fuel” autos.

But he added that the engine would not last long if katatel was used.

the USER

One of the (WB-O4 D/2674) LPG-only autos was used for the just-do-it demonstration.

“I had been told that the auto would not run on anything other than LPG but today the auto could be switched to katatel within 10 seconds,” said auto owner Bapi Dutta, who took delivery of the auto in end-October and got it registered in mid-December.

WHY KATATEL

The price of LPG (Rs 28.36 per litre) is more or less on a par with katatel now as the illegal fuel makers are lying low and supply is sporadic.

Katatel price can easily drop below LPG price to fuel demand once the spotlight is off.

A four-stroke auto running on LPG can only take three passengers because of the load factor. The stronger katatel kick-start allows autos to pack in more passengers. This can almost double the auto’s earnings on any given trip (five, instead of three passengers).

Katatel is easily available from 250-plus centres across the city; there are only 12 LPG stations. The government’s target, set in 2004, was 75 LPG stations.

Sellers of katatel and the auto lobby have been feeding off each other for years. This nexus cannot be broken easily as it benefits several sections crucial to the state’s street politics.