Daily Times

For days now, CNG has been in the news, mostly for all the wrong reasons — from its growing demand and dire shortage, to increasing conversion to CNG kits and use of substandard cylinders that have led to many people being killed by cylinder explosions. People, unable to cope with the low gas pressure, have resorted to the risky use of gas cylinders at home. The explosions of these cylinders at home — frequent as they are — are bad enough in terms of the loss of precious lives. The use of gas cylinders in vehicles, especially public transport, is even more dangerous considering their movement and so the safety standards for conversion to CNG should be higher. Generally, in free-market societies — especially Pakistan’s — people take advantage of windfalls, blindly following the rise in demand of things without considering their implications and usage. With the demand and supply gap not bridged, cylinders have emerged as the viable option for most CNG consumers. Illegally manufactured cylinders are poor in quality, uncertified, and sold in the black market by dealers using the inattention of the authorities to get away with selling substandard or expired cylinders older than five years.

Taking notice of the mounting tragic deaths caused by cylinder explosions, Interior Minister Rehman Malik has instructed the FIA to trace the manufacturers of faulty cylinders in order to take action against them. One can ask where this delayed wisdom was when the government first took the decision for the conversion to CNG. It would have saved many precious lives had the authorities devised some sort of a mechanism then to ensure quality and maintenance of the kits, an approach that has never been part of our work culture. It seems that the authorities concerned only take notice of a crisis when it has reached its pinnacle, and that too happens only because of the callousness and irresponsible attitude of the authorities in not performing their job adeptly in the first place.

Bearing in mind that the shortage of gas is to continue, it would be imprudent to expect respite from all the profiteers and faulty manufacturers in the days ahead. Therefore, taking account of the gravity of the situation, the government must wake up and formulate a legal framework with the objective of regulating the quality and safety of CNG cylinders and ensure their regular maintenance for the prevention of the tragic loss of lives in the future. Expired cylinders and kits must be replaced and regularly monitored. Last but not the least, stern action must be taken against all those whose carelessness and disregard for human lives causes tragic accidents. *