CNG two-wheelers to soon revolutionise road transport in India

Two-wheelers using compressed natural gas along with CNG-driven taxis and three wheelers would create a revolution on Indian roads, making travel affordable and comfortable for the middle class soon, minister of state for petroleum and natural gas Jitin Prasada has said.

Speaking at the inaugural session of the conference and exhibition 'Natural Gas for Vehicles India 2010' in Mumbai today, the minister said the government was committed to providing all the support to the utilisation of CNG, a clean and green fuel.

In fact, he said, people of Mumbai and Delhi have been getting a significant proportion of piped gas at APM prices. The empowered group of ministers allocating KG D6 gas also has reserved gas for city gas distribution (CGD) as one of the high priority areas, he added.

`Natural Gas for Vehicles (NGV) India 2010' provides an important platform for exchanging views, sharing experiences and deepening the dialogue between CNG suppliers, automobile manufacturers, original equipment manufacturers and the world automotive industry.

Prasada said the government is in the process of authorising another 5,000 km of gas pipelines to connect various parts of the country over and above the 6,335 km of pipeline sanctioned by the petroleum and natural gas regulatory board (PNGRB).

The Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL), a joint venture of GAIL, government of Maharashtra and the BG Group, has been supplying piped gas to people of Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane for the last 15 years. With a network of about 150 CNG stations the Mumbai region today has over two lakh vehicles running on CNG, he said.

A similar green revolution has been witnessed in the national capital Delhi where "we are free from the smog which used to cloud Delhi's sky, before CNG was introduced", he added.

The government has now drawn a list of 201 cities across the country where piped natural gas and compressed natural gas facilities would be rolled out in the coming years, he added.