New Delhi, Jan 1 (IANS): Indian Auto LPG Coalition has called for policy measures by the government to encourage and boost the adoption of auto LPG and CNG as alternative fuel for transportation.

In a statement, the industry body said that the country's auto LPG sector is upbeat about its prospects as rising diesel prices, growing environmental consciousness and delayed electric vehicle targets force consumers to look for sustainable alternatives.

"Growing environmental consciousness is expected to pave way for greater demand of eco-friendly transport fuels. The circumstances create a fertile ground for growth of an eco-friendly and easily deployable fuel like auto LPG. We are expecting OEMs to look at auto LPG variants as a low hanging fruit," said Suyash Gupta, Director General, Indian Auto LPG Coalition.

He noted that auto LPG is not only environment-friendly, but has also been almost 40 per cent cheaper than petrol consistently.

Further, as the government attempts to revive the larger economy and businesses and people get back to everyday regular commuting and travel, there may be a jump in use of personal vehicles over public transport due to the prevalent virus situation, Gupta said, adding that having a larger number of petrol or diesel cars on roads will be an environmental disaster.

"The government must therefore provide a policy climate conducive to the rise and uptake of clean gaseous fuels such as auto LPG and CNG," he said.