Alarmed by the rising prices of petrol and diesel? You can switch over to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), which may soon be available at your nearest bus depot.
The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport (BEST) undertaking and the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) are considering a proposal from Mahanagar Gas Ltd. (MGL), to set up CNG-dispensing stations at their bus depots in the city. Not only will it meet their own future requirements, but will also allow the cash-strapped transport bodies to boost non-tariff revenue by extending the facility to private vehicles.
While the BEST has already earmarked its Oshiwara and Goregaon bus depots for a pilot project, the MSRTC is still waiting for a feasibility study on using CNG for their operations along certain routes near Mumbai — the only city offering re-fuelling facilities in Maharashtra.
“The commercial utilisation of CNG stations will definitely bring in additional revenue,” said Uttam Khobragade, vice-chairman and managing director, MSRTC. However, the state transport body will only consider this option after studying the feasibility of running CNG buses along shorter routes.
Meanwhile, the BEST is looking forward to expanding its 200-strong CNG bus fleet to 600 by March 2007.
“With the rising cost of petrol and diesel, we have no option but to look for cheaper alternatives such as CNG and bio-diesel,” said S S Kshatriya, GM, BEST. It has already set up CNG stations at Anik and Prateeksha Nagar depots and is likely to introduce the facilities at the Santacruz, Goregaon and Oshiwara depots.
“We need the refill facility only at night as the buses are out during the day. So, we sure can cater to other vehicles,” said Kshatriya. “If the experiment is successful, we will consider replicating it across other depots in Mumbai.”
