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Kandivali CNG station shut post blast, wait for refill grows longer for auto rickshaws

On October 20, the cylinder of a CNG auto exploded while the vehicle was being re-filled at Kapadia Brothers CNG station near Milap Theatre.

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A long queue of Auto rickshaw at Mahavir Nagar CNG pump in Kandivali
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Are you finding it difficult to get auto rickshaws in Kandivali for the last few months? The non-functioning CNG dispensing station at Kandivali (W), which has been shut since October last year following a cylinder blast, might be the reason; at the auto drivers and the unions say so.

On October 20, the cylinder of a CNG auto exploded while the vehicle was being re-filled at Kapadia Brothers CNG station near Milap Theatre. While petrol and diesel dispensing units were allowed to function from the same evening, the CNG pump remains shut since then.

"On an average, 4000 autos used to make a beeline for a refill from this gas station. After it was shut down, auto queues at other gas stations have grown painfully longer. Our union has been following up with the traffic department, MGL as well as the police to ensure that the CNG station is re-started at the earliest after. Auto drivers have to go all the way to Charkop, Poisar and other far-off places for a refill," shared Thambi Kurien, working president of Mumbai Rickshawmen Union.

It is not only the residents from Kandivali area who are finding it difficult to get autos these days, but there are also complaints from Borivali and Dahisar as well, says Kurien.

"There are only eight CNG stations between Dahisar to Kandivali, located far apart. At times drivers end up waiting for more than two hours in the queue, which not only affects their business but also leaves commuters struggling to get autos on roads," Kurien informed adding that this problem has also escalated due to the fact that the number of auto rickshaw has increased by almost 90,000 in last one year, of which most have been registered at the Borivali RTO after the State Government opened up the permit.

Dinesh Dubey a Borivali resident who has been driving an autorickshaw for 15 years said, "On an average, the wait to refill CNG at Borivali (West) CNG station has gone up by an hour in the last six months. Auto's are increasing but the number of CNG stations are the same," he said.

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