Hit the gas: CNG cylinders explode on the cooking scene

Households, eateries using them as a cheaper alternative to LPG.

PESHAWAR: The obvious peril of cooking using high pressure gas cylinders is not a deterrent for households and roadside cafes frying savouries on stoves fuelled by CNG tanks.

Not only is CNG cheap, it is also more easily available in Peshawar compared to other cities in the country where people have to wait in endless queues.



"A CNG cylinder costs me Rs600 and can last for a week, while I was spending about Rs2,500 for LPG in the same time period,” says Farman Ayub, who runs a Biryani and French fries eatery in Saddar Bazaar. He adds the initial cost of a CNG cylinder can be up to eight times higher, but refilling it is much cheaper. Ayub says the complete package cost him Rs20,000 and his kit has a capacity of six kilogrammes of CNG. The weight of an empty cylinder is 55kg, he says.

Fazale Akbar, a resident of Khan Bahadar Colony, also bought a CNG cylinder for his house as his application for a gas connection has been pending with Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) for three years. “I was in a state of hopelessness,” he says. “I bought the cylinder because it is cheaper than LPG and I desperately needed a gas connection at home.”

Abdul Baseer, a CNG cylinder technician on University Road, says the cylinders are imported from India and Dubai. He points out people in Lahore and other big cities have started removing these cylinders from their cars due to CNG shortages and decrease in petrol prices.

“People in Peshawar’s suburbs are buying the cylinders for domestic use and opting for bigger cylinders,” he says.



According to Baseer, the prices of cylinders vary according to their size. He says there are some cylinders which have a capacity of 23kg of CNG and weigh up to 90kg when empty. However, for basic domestic use, people prefer smaller or medium sized cylinders. The trend of using CNG at home started around two years ago when filling stations on Arbab Road, Kohat Road, University Road and Charsadda Road started selling the cylinders

Baseer believes using CNG is safer than LPG because of the quality and standards followed in the manufacturing and assembly of cylinders.

“Safety is not a big issue and it can be placed on a rooftop or some corner far from the reach of children,” he says. “The owner can also check for leaks at CNG stations on every refill.”

Another CNG technician who makes cylinders for cooking purposes at a filling station near Gora Qabristan says he has not received any complaints from customers. “The cylinders are laboratory tested and approved for use. We have not received any complaints from customers or officials.” He adds business is good on Arbab Road and Abdara Road as people are also taking these cylinders to tribal areas adjacent to the city.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 2^nd, 2015.