The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) recently conducted a CNG awareness workshop which brought together stakeholders from major vehicle manufacturers, petroleum & gas industry, retrofitment industry and the concerned government bodies. The workshop was intended to bring the latest technologies and safety measures to the notice of the 150 technicians and authorities who attended it. The workshop also addressed the loose ends in the retrofitment industry which need to be addressed forthwith.
Inaugurating the first session for the workshop, Mr. Vishnu Mathur, Director-General, SIAM, said that mobility has evolved over the past few decades and the introduction of CNG has played a major part in it.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Bhure Lal, Chairman, Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority, who was the guest of honour, said that safety and security around the use of CNG as a vehicle fuel are the major challenges that need to be addressed. The need for CNG as a fuel emerged at the fag end of the last century when Delhi and the NCR region were extremely polluted. While vehicular emissions constituted only about 20 per cent of pollution, the situation has only worsened over the past couple of decades with a rapid increase in the vehicle density in the region.
He urged the entire fraternity to be diligent with their work as they would chart the course of transportation system in the region and consequently in the country.
Speaking in the first session, Mr. Ujwal Bhandari, General Manager, O&M, Indraprastha Gas Ltd., and Mr. B. Singh, Controller of Explosives, Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization, also stressed the need for proper maintenance of CNG vehicles.
The second session started with a presentation on the overview of the CNG program in India by Mr. Jitendra Malhotra of Maruti Suzuki India who reiterated that the future of CNG as a fuel is bright provided necessary safety measures are taken.
Mr. Vipul Bajpai, CLH Gaseous fuel applications Experience with CNG retrofitment in buses, also put forward his experience in the field.
The session concluded with a refresher course on CNG safety provided by Mr. Vishal Singhal, Advantek Fuel Systems.