Hyderabad: CNG shortage sparks long queues at fuel stns in city

Hyderabad: Due to shortage in supply of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), there is beeline being made by vehicles outside the fuel stations in the city. Vehicles especially auto-rickshaws are struggling to continue on field as they are not able to fuel their vehicle.

On Sunday, it was observed that various CNG fuel stations in the city were witnessing long queues of auto-rickshaws and other vehicles as there was a shortage in supply of Natural Gas. According to auto-rickshaw drivers, this problem has been prevailing since the last 10 days. As there is a severe crunch of CNG gas, extra amount is been charged to the customers to fuel their vehicles.

In Chikkadpally, queues of dozens of vehicles, especially auto-rickshaws were struggling to fill the CNG. Around 50 stations in the Greater Hyderabad limits witnessing the same rush.

"The government encouraged citizens to use Gas and save the environment but failed to provide Natural Gas. Due to the shortage of supply, dozens of autos have been waiting at fuel stations to fill the gas since morning. I fueled my auto-rickshaw after waiting for three hours," said Naveen Kumar, an auto-rickshaw driver at Chikkadpally.

Various organisations including the auto-rickshaws and Cabs JAC said that CNG had gained popularity as it is cheaper than petrol. However, in Hyderabad, CNG is being sold at Rs 97 per kg compared to Rs 109 per litre petrol and it is also sold with charging Rs 10 extra while filling in the vehicles. The drivers' association alleged that the operation of CNG-powered vehicles is hardly a profitable business now with the steep price increase of the product. According to the official records, there are nearly 30,000 CNG-powered autos and 2,000 cars currently in the city.

We are getting about 1,200 kg to 1,500 kg daily. As the demand is more, the supply has been reduced to about 30 per cent over previous years. However, at some stations, the supply is even lesser and gas runs out in just three to four hours," said a dealer at Chikkadpally.

Auto drivers call the station at Shamirpet and enquire about the supply to their nearest fuel stations. But we are deprived to say that they may not supply due to shortage," said a dealer at Bahadurpura.

"Around 4.5 to 5 kg can be filled in an auto-rickshaw. The maximum mileage is 40 km per kg. The limited stock in fuel stations and the heavy price are really spoiling the revenue of many new operators in the field," said A Sathi Reddy, a member of association.