CNG cylinder of truck blasts during gas filling, one injured
A 45-year-old man received minor injuries after a CNG tank of a truck blasted during gas filling at a petrol pump in South-West Delhi’s Najafgarh, police said on Wednesday.
With an ever expanding fleet of around 2000 online CNG-run app cabs in Kolkata, the operators are demanding facilities including an app that would enable them to have knowledge of the availability of the fuel around the city.
Last week, several transport operators had staged a protest at Kasba depot demanding the timing of availability of CNG be changed to a 24×7 basis. As was informed by the state transport minister, Snehasis Chakraborty on that day about the fuel being available round-the-clock from 11 February, has also been implemented.
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According to the members of the guild, the CNG is available at Kasba depot now 24×7. However, only one depot, as claimed by the CNG cab operators, is still insufficient for them. According to the online app cab operators, even though more and more operators are switching to the environment-friendly fuel, they are having to face issues in providing services smoothly as availing CNG from a single point is resulting in a cumbersome process.
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“If a driver has to give around three hours while buying CNG for his vehicle, it affects his earning time,” claimed the general secretary of West Bengal Online App Cab Operators’ Guild, Indranil Banerjee.
The operators under the organization, therefore, are demanding that the system of round-the-clock CNG availability be expanded to other depots also like those in New Town, Tollygunge and Gariahat. “If CNG is made available 24×7 at these four points, it would help in solving the problem to a great extent,” said the general secretary.
The guild members have also demanded an app that could provide them with information on CNG availability to reduce the dry runs of their vehicles. Not only this, the cab drivers are also of the opinion that the registration of new CNG vehicles be limited temporarily unless the fuel is available adequately for the existing vehicles.
According to sources in the state transport department, the department is exploring options of considering the demands of the operators. A final decision is yet to be declared.
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