JAMSHEDPUR: The irregular supply of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) to the four refilling stations is causing interruption in business for the over 800 autorickshaw owners and drivers in the Steel City for the past one week.
Salawat Mahato, a CNG autorickshaw driver, said, “We wait for our turn in the queue for long hours only to find that the stock is over.”
Mohammed Hussein, another driver, said, “We are losing out on earnings. Parents of school-going children have threatened us with discontinuation of availing our services as we run out of the fuel and become irregular in transporting the students to school from home and back. We also have to keep our vehicles parked at the allotted stands, disrupting our business.”
Uday Kumar, an employee of CNG refilling station at Sakchi, said fuel was available on Wednesday, but agreed that there’s always a shortage in supply as the demand for CNG fuel is increasing on a daily basis.
Diesel autorickshaw owner Ajay Mahato said, “Autorickshaw owners have no problem in converting the diesel vehicles into CNG ones, but adequate supply of the CNG fuel should be ensured.”
A diesel and petrol fuel station proprietor at Dhalbhumgarh, Rajesh Kumar Sharma, said until the number of CNG refilling stations increase, there is always a risk of CNG shortage.
District transport officer Dinesh Kumar Ranjan said, “GAIL supplies CNG to the four refilling stations in the city. The pipeline near Purulia in Begal has developed some fault, impacting the supply to the city.” The number of CNG refilling stations would also see an increase in the next six to eight months. “All the autos, including those running on petrol, have to convert to CNG by October-end, he added.
