CNG gas cylinders: Ministry gives deadline to ensure safety

Reacts to several accidents, CNG on public transport may be banned.

ISLAMABAD:

After several accidents involving faulty equipment, the federal petroleum ministry has issued a one-week deadline to owners of vehicles that run on compresses natural gas to ensure the safety of their gas cylinders. The government is also considering a ban on the use of CNG in public transportation in case the deadline is not met.

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Petroleum Secretary Ijaz Chaudhry in Islamabad on Monday. The meeting was also attended by Ghyas Abdullah Paracha, the head of the All Pakistan CNG Association (APCNGA), as well as officials from the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra).

Ogra has already proposed that a ban be placed on the use of CNG by all public transportation vehicles owing to the gas shortage in the country. The petroleum ministry will issue orders to provincial governments to conduct the safety testing of CNG cylinders.

For its part, the CNG lobby has agreed to conduct a public awareness campaign about the dangers of substandard gas cylinders and will be publishing a newspaper advertisement across the country on December 21, in addition to publishing several leaflets and pamphlets. In addition, the association has also agreed to conduct random safety checks, as well as not allowing the refilling of substandard cylinders.

Paracha blamed the blasts on faulty installations and substandard CNG cylinders and kits, adding that the association does not have the capacity to implement safety rules. He argued that enforcing safety regulations is the job of the provincial governments and blamed them for not having taken sufficient action against operators of faulty fitting workshops.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 20^th, 2011.