Were you anticipating commuting troubles owing to the crisis looming over the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) dispensing system in city and its adjoining areas? There's some good news.
The state weights and measures department has given a month to all CNG dispensing pumps to get the required 'type approval' certification from the Legal Metrology department in New Delhi.
The development has brought Mumbaikars relief as the closure of pumps without approval would have thrown the city's public transport out of gear — the 1.06 lakh autorickshaws and 40,000-odd taxis run on CNG.
As reported by dna in its Wednesday edition, the future of 112 out of the 126 CNG pumping stations was in limbo as they do not have the 'type approval' as mandated by a state government notification dated April 28, 2011.
This was creating hurdles in the weights and measures department's plan to test and calibrate the pumps' dispensing systems. In fact, it closed down 32 pumps over the past two of days for not having the 'type approval'.
The department has now decided to go ahead with the testing and calibration of the pumps that have the type approval, and give the others a month to get theirs.
As per the rules, Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL) — city's CNG supplier — will have to get the approval.
Speaking to dna, Ravi Shinde of the Fuel Pump Owners Association said MGL must quicken the process so that all pumps in city get the approval within the month allotted to them. "Moreover, we have demanded that the 32 pumps that have been shut down be opened immediately," he added.
"All the departments involved should finish the legal formalities required within a month so that public transport is not affected. We want that testing and calibration of fuel dispensers is also completed quickly so that we get the right amount of fuel," said Thampi Kurien, chief of the Mumbai Rickshawmen's Union.
MGL says...
MGL as an organisation looks for public interest at large and is committed to the service of the people in compliance with the laws, rules and regulations imposed from time to time.
The requirement of "type approval" for CNG dispensers came into effect vide Government of Maharashtra's notification dated April, 28 2011. Therefore, all the dispensers installed by MGL post the notification comply with the legal requirements and documentation. MGL has been supplying CNG through its dispensers installed at its CNG stations to the people of Mumbai and its surrounding areas for the past 19 years. For the CNG dispensers installed 10-12 years prior to the notification, MGL is in the process of obtaining type approvals issued by director (Legal Metrology), New Delhi. These approvals are expected to be obtained shortly after which all our dispensers will comply with the legal requirements.
For avoiding any inconvenience to CNG consumers and the public at large, MGL has requested the weights & measures department to carry out the stamping and calibration of its dispensers already having the type approval and in a phased manner for the remaining dispensers for which MGL is in process of obtaining the approval.
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