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Download PDF Riding CNG-run vehicles has become quite dangerous these days.
Cylinder blasts in vehicles converted to CNG mode have lately claimed a number of lives. Three people died and several others were injured in Manikganj when part of a CNG-run bus went up in flames last week.
Earlier, similar explosions in a private car and bus left one killed and many injured in Joykali Mandir area in Dhaka and Gazipur.
Unauthorised conversion works, use of substandard cylinders and absence of an effective monitoring system–all contribute to leaving thousands of commuters in danger of falling victim to cylinder blasts.
The Daily Star in an investigation recently found a good number of unauthorised conversion plants operative across the city and elsewhere in the country.
Most of them do not have the technical know-how to do the conversion job and they use locally made substandard cylinders to maximise their profit.
Besides, many authorised centres too do not follow proper conversion rules leading to unsafe switching over to CNG system.
People involved in the industry allege that the concerned government bodies keep turning a blind eye to the illegal practice. They do not bother much about having tight licensing as well as inspection procedures in force.
Rupantorita Prakritik Gas Company Limited (RPGCL) is the government organ responsible for licensing motorworks to convert diesel- and petrol-run vehicles to CNG system after proper scrutiny.
The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and traffic department are the ones authorised to issue and check fitness certificates of the vehicles.
Instead of developing a coordinated system to ensure safety standards, they seem happier blaming each other for the alarming trends in CNG conversion.
According to different motorworks, it costs between Tk 50,000 and Tk 70,000 for a vehicle to be converted to CNG. However the use of substandard cylinders can bring down the cost to anything between Tk 10,000 to Tk 20,000. This of course comes at the expense of safety of thousands of commuters.
Conversion rules say, a CNG cylinder has to have the capacity to hold 3,000 pounds per square inch (PSI). But the ones provided by unscrupulous traders at a lower cost can only contain 1,000 pounds.
Substandard or non-CNG cylinders have grown popular for their low prices and easy availability. Crooked conversion works have been using those taking advantage of slack inspection.
Kabir Hossain, engineer in charge of the retesting section of Navana CNG, told The Daily Star that he has visited several sites of cylinder explosions and what he saw there convinced him that use of cylinders not designed to hold CNG was the reason for most of the blasts.
He said the unauthorised conversion centres use faulty cylinders including those meant to contain oxygen, gas for the purposes of ship breaking, household work and light industries.
Kabir pointed out that there is no manufacturer of standard CNG cylinders in the country. Most of the cylinders are imported from countries like Argentina, Brazil, Dubai, South Korea and India.
Shafiqul Islam, deputy manager of RPGCL, however, disagrees with Kabir. He said, “Each of the explosions in vehicles so far had involved non-CNG cylinder.”
SM Sahabuddin, assistant inspector of the explosives department under the energy ministry, too said the cylinders that exploded were locally made and they all were of quality below the desired standard.
He said the RPGL is responsible for monitoring and supervising the use of proper cylinders in CNG conversion.
Asked why they do not do anything to check the use of substandard cylinders in vehicles, the deputy manager of RPGCL said though they are authorised to monitor CNG-conversion they do not have specific directives on how to go about monitoring.
Lack of manpower is another drawback, he added.
Sirajul Islam, proprietor of the Wazi CNG and Hydrogen Conversion Works, said there are specific instructions for conversion. And not following the instructions meticulously often results in cylinder blasts.
He added that longevity of a cylinder is between 15 and 20 years and every cylinder has to be checked for fitness in every five years. Besides, the air filter in a CNG-run vehicle has to be cleaned once in every three months for safety.
Compressed Natural Gas, commonly referred to as CNG, is a comparatively cheaper fuel and so it has become a popular source of power for vehicles due to skyrocketing prices of diesel and petrol.
Currently, the country has 192 CNG conversion centres and over 200 CNG filling stations. The number of CNG-driven transports is 1.5 lakh against 6 lakh of those run on petrol or diesel. Of those, over one lakh are based in Dhaka, according to BRTA and RPGCL sources.
RPGCL however has no list of unauthorised conversion centres or those operating illegally. Contacted, they claimed they were investigating the matter.
Asked about the spread of illegal conversion works, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Naim Ahmed said they are not the authority here. Besides, since it is a relatively new technology they lack the required expertise and thus cannot do much in this regard.
Though traffic personnel are responsible for checking the fitness of the vehicles on the road, they do not do so in case of CNG-run vehicles again for not having essential technical knowledge.
Joint Commissioner (traffic) Mohammad Jasim Uddin Ahmed of DMP said, “The Motor Vehicle Act does not state anything about the use of cylinders or fitness of CNG-run vehicles.”
He said they would take measures to equip their manpower to inspect CNG vehicles once regulations to that end are included in the Act.
Harun-ur-Rashid Khalifa, assistant director of BRTA, told The Daily Star that last year they sent to the RPGCL a set of recommendations on fitness of CNG vehicles, but they have yet to get a response.
February 26th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
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