Burning issue of herbal fuel

He might not be able to turn water into wine, but self-taught 'scientist' Ramar Pillai claims to be able to perform a feat almost as miraculous.

Hong Kong was the latest stop for the Tamil Nadu school dropout and would-be alchemist, who has shown a remarkable persistence in trying to find a backer for his 'secret' method of turning herbs into a fuel he says is cleaner, cheaper and more efficient than petrol. This is despite scientists in India having declared his fuel a hoax last year, after initially being in thrall of his 'discovery'.

Mr Pillai insists his fuel is genuine and claims to be the victim of a conspiracy to prevent it being put into mass production. If he knows who is involved in thwarting his plans to become the saviour of Indian motorists, however, he is not saying.

He says he has staged demonstrations for the chief ministers of many of India's states. In Tamil Nadu, in the south of India, the only state where the fuel is sold, scooter owners queue up to by it at 10 rupees (HK$2.15) a litre, 15 rupees less than the cost of petrol.

When he first began demonstrating his fuel two years ago, scientists announced he had made an amazing breakthrough and officials from his home state accorded him police protection.

However, Mr V Ramamurthi, head of India's Federal Science and Technology Department, said laboratory-controlled tests showed Mr Pillai was injecting petrol and paraffin into his concoction to produce its combustive properties. A spoon Mr Pillai insisted on using to stir the mixture was discovered to have been hollowed out and filled with petrol. A statement from the Department was later tabled in Parliament, branding him a fraud.

Scooter owners around his home town of Idaiyankulam continue to have faith in him, insisting it would be senseless for Mr Pillai to buy fuel at 25 rupees per litre and then to sell it off more cheaply. He has become a folk hero to motorists, producing 1,000 litres a day before hordes of cheering spectators.