Why you should make the switch to CNG: "Why you should make the switch to CNG "




Home> Mumbai> News
Tuesday , January 24, 2006

Page One Sportsline All Headlines

NEWS

GREEN FUEL: COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS IS LESS POLLUTING, CHEAPER THAN PETROL AND MORE REFILLING STATIONS MEAN NO MORE QUEUES
Why you should make the switch to CNG
Anumeha Yadav
Mumbai, January 23: WITH the turning of a switch, Mahavir Shah (34) does his bit in ridding the city’s air of 6,00,000 kg of pollutants every day. In the process, he cuts down his monthly fuel expenses by Rs 7,000.
Shah, a dealer of motors and pumps, got a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) kit fitted in his year-old Tata Indica last month. ‘‘I enjoy the comforts of a car at the cost of a motorbike,’’ says Shah, who commutes over 60 km daily from his Kanjurmarg residence to his office in Fort.
BrideGroom
18-2526-3031-3536-4546-5099-50
In a city choking on pollutants and battling a burgeoning vehicular population of 11.23 lakh, CNG-run vehicles—they emit lesser particulates, airborne toxins and neglible emissions of sulphur oxides—might just bring in a breath of much-needed clean air.
‘‘Given the rate at which the number of vehicles is rising—300-odd vehicles added daily—an effective and feasible way of reducing emissions is for private vehicles to opt for a clean fuel like CNG and simultaneously augment dispension facilities,’’ says Deputy Transport Commissioner Satish Sahasrebudhe.
‘‘1.6 lakh commercial vehicles running on CNG have benefitted economically,’’ says A K Purwaha, managing director of Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL), the sole CNG supplier. ‘‘Seeing this, more and more private vehicle owners are seeking details of how they can opt for CNG.’’
According to Purwaha, the reliability of a CNG-kit can be easily verified with the Regional Transport Offices. And doubts about the safety of this fuel are unfounded, he asserts.
‘‘CNG being lighter than air disperses very quickly in case of a leak and is no way more risky than conventional fuels,’’ he says.
Refuelling too no longer means having to stand for hours in serpentine queues.
‘‘Refuelling is not a problem as stations abound,’’ says P Chellapa, who drives a Maruti van to ferry school children from Chembur to Govandi and back. ‘‘And in case of emergency, I can always use petrol to reach the nearest pump.’’
Things are only expected to get better with MGL promising to augment the refilling facilities by adding 23 stations to the current 117 by March. ‘‘Users in Mumbai are in a comfortable position right now,’’ says Purwaha. ‘‘Still, we want to increase the number of stations in Thane from five to 12 and add two more to Mira-Bhayander.’’
Why CNG* It’s daily operating cost is almost one-fourth that of a petrol vehicle* Money invested in conversion kits—available for Rs 27,000-35,000—can be recovered through savings in fuel* One kg of CNG used is equal to a kg of particulate emissions cut down
anumehayadav@expressindia.com
(Series concluded)