Long queues at CNG stations add to commuters’ woes

Bhopal: Visit any CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) fuel station in the city, and you will find long queues of vehicles, including autos, cabs, cars, SUVs, and even buses, waiting for their turn to refill.This has become a daily scene outside nearly every CNG pump in the city.Despite the city having around 35 CNG refill stations, both in and out of the city, they are proving grossly inadequate to meet the fuelling demands of the rising number of registered CNG kit-fitted vehicles. This imbalance has led to frequent congestion at pumps, with drivers often waiting over half an hour just to refuel.What worsens the situation further is the underutilisation of the available resources. Many stations operate with only one or two active vending machines, even when four or more are installed. This limited operational capacity contributes significantly to longer wait times and mounting frustration among vehicle owners.”The line of vehicles stretches on the road outside the refill station during peak hours. If all machines worked, the crowd could be managed better,” said Faizan, an auto-rickshaw driver waiting in line at a station.An official associated with the CNG pump said that the popularity of CNG vehicles continues to rise, fuelled by significantly lower running costs compared to petrol-driven vehicles. According to industry estimates, running a vehicle on CNG is nearly fifty percent cheaper than petrol, which is prompting many private vehicle owners and commercial operators to switch to the eco-friendlier alternative.Ravi Saxena, a CNG car owner, told TOI that he purchased the CNG car for his daughter. Its running cost is as low as a scooter running on petrol. But refuelling the CNG in the car is increasingly becoming cumbersome. There are two CNG fuel stations located near his home, one in TT Nagar and another on Bhadbhada Road. Whenever he visits these fuel stations, he finds a long queue of vehicles. Most of the time, he finds that one of the vending machines is not working. When he raises objections, the workers make excuses, either that the machine is not working or there is a shortage of staff. They do not want to increase efficiency.He said, “I’ll not go to a pump located on the city outskirts just to refill gas in my car. The situation at most of the CNG pumps located in the city area is nearly the same. One will find long queues of vehicles.”Another car owner, Yogesh Mehra, a resident of Awadhpuri, told TOI that whenever he visits a CNG station for refuelling, he has to wait for at least 30 minutes. He said that refilling gas in a vehicle takes a minimum of five minutes, but the number of vehicles already waiting for their turn remains high.Rajat Rai, a resident of Katara Hills, said that there is a CNG pump in the Katara Hills area where he goes for refuelling his car. Many times, he finds a long queue of vehicles waiting for their turn. Sometimes, the pump goes out of gas, so he has to visit Gyarah Meel or near AIIMS for refuelling. “But I’ll not go to Gyarah Meel to refuel my car. And the pumps located in the city remain clogged with vehicles,” he added.He added that while the number of CNG vehicles grows steadily, infrastructure expansion has not kept pace, and the common man has to face the consequences. Unless the number of refill stations and operational vending units is increased urgently, the situation will worsen, especially with more people opting for CNG amid rising fuel prices.