Maintenance work at pumps enables 80 kg filling instead of 110 kg; buses run out by 5 pm
For the last few days, the CNG buses with the Pune Mahana gar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML), have been breaking down, due to running out of gas. Currently, the PMPML has CNG pumps at four depots, where the Maharashtra Natural Gas Limited (MNGL) provides the gas for around 600 CNG buses. For the last few days, these buses have been running out of gas during the evening peak hours, resulting in cancellation of scheduled trips on various routes. On an average, 150 to 200 evening CNG bus schedules are cancelled due to which commuters have to suffer and are forced to travel in overcrowded buses. “There is an issue with our CNG depots for the last few days; the pressure coming while filling the gas is low, due to which less gas is filled. Every bus has a capacity of 110 kg, which used to be filled fully earlier. But now, due to low pressure, each bus holds only around 80 kg gas. So, when the bus goes on the road early in the morning, the CNG is over by 5 pm,“ said PMPML general manager Anant Waghmare. He added, “We have complained to the MNGL officials and will be holding a meeting with them to resolve the issue. The technical problems need to be addressed on priority, as our evening bus schedules are majorly affected. We have to cancel around 150 to 200 bus schedules.“Of the 13 PMPML depots in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, four depots -N T Wadi, Hadapsar, Kothrud and Pimpri MNGL -have internal gasfilling facilities. The newly started CNG pump at Chikhali, where PMPML buses are allowed to fill gas, is also running on low pressure for the last few days. So, all buses running from these depots are prone to breakdowns by evening. Elaborating on the issue, MNGL managing director, Arvind Tambekar, told Mirror, “Every six months or so, we have to do maintenance work at our CNG pumps, during which the pressure remains low. However, I will run a check and get this work done as early as possible by our team. There is a technical issue going on at the N T Wadi depot, where work is going on. For the other CNG pumps in the PMPML depots, we will resolve the problem soon.“
Commuters, on the other hand, are fed up with the daily hassle. One of them, Amit Shiladari, said, “I go to Deccan from Katraj depot for college.The bus breaks down at least twice a week due to tyre puncture, overheating or lack of gas. We need a fast and frequent bus service in the city as soon as possible.“
Speaking on condition of anonymity, one of the CNG bus drivers told Mirror, “We have to face insults and shouting from the public every day, when the bus breaks down.There is a problem with CNG gas filling and we have to wait till the next day for refills. By then, our scheduled routes are cancelled.“
Source : Mirror
