Centre helpless on CNG supply

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, JULY 19. With the Centre virtually throwing up its hands on providing the required quantity of eco-friendly CNG fuel and filling stations in Delhi, dark days are ahead for commuters, parents and children as another ``transport crisis'' looms large. The Capital faces the prospect of another ordeal beginning October 1.

Insiders in the Delhi Government say the Union Petroleum Minister, Mr. Ram Naik, has written to the Chief Minister, Ms. Sheila Dikshit, about the inability of the Indraprastha Gas Limited to make available the necessary CNG fuel and also the required number of CNG filling stations before the September 30 deadline set by the Supreme Court.

Responding to the letter of the Transport Minister, Mr. Parvez Hashmi, on May 30, seeking the Centre's intervention into the problem of scarcity of CNG fuel and failure of the IGL to open the required number of CNG stations, Mr. Naik has said there was no possibility of additional CNG stations opening the city for at least another year. There are around 80 CNG stations now, of which nine are mother stations.

The move is seen as a clear attempt by the Union Government to wriggle out of the critical situation and let the Delhi Government face the flak. Further, Mr. Naik has said the sites indicated in the letter of Mr. Hashmi for use as CNG stations has been reviewed by the IGL authorities and eight were considered inappropriate due to their distance from the existing or proposed pipelines. The depot sites rejected are Kalkaji, Peeragarhi, Ambedkar Depot-1, Nand Nagari, Shahdara Depot-II, Yamuna Vihar, Nangloi and Keshopur. ``Apart from these, the installation of other CNG filling stations would involve a period of 12 to 14 months,'' he has stated clearly.

Dealing with the matter of issuing instructions to the IGL, Mr. Naik said the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has already issued instructions to expedite the setting up of CNG stations. In addition to the 80 mandated under the Supreme Court order, another 40 to 50 more outlets are expected to be established in the coming months. Additionally, booster compressors are being installed at daughter stations to take care of the problem caused by drop in pressure. Over the next three months, all daughter stations currently functional would be converted to daughter booster stations. ``I am sure these measures would serve to mitigate the problems of CNG supply in the Capital,'' he added.

As far as intervention for use of DTC depots to supply CNG to private buses is concerned, the Minister pointed out that such a request had to be made by the lessee -- that is the DTC -- to the DDA, which is the land owning agencies. No action was required by the Petroleum Ministry as it had no objection.

This could spell trouble for the Delhi Government which will be now be left to face the wrath of the Capital's residents. With the diesel-run CNG buses expected to go off the roads after the expiry of the Supreme Court deadline, the worst hit will be the daily commuters and school going children. The availability of CNG buses with the schools will also not make much of a difference as no CNG fuel would be available and it would be hours before the bus gets its turn to get a fill. The trauma of April 1 is expected to haunt the parents and children again.

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