KARACHI: A number of public and private vehicles have converted to CNG because of cheaper price as compared to petrol and diesel. Not only government and transport companies but also school-buses and a major number of private transport are using CNG vehicles, Daily Times has learnt. Karachities demand that public transportation and school busses should be checked up frequently for free. It is very important to be aware of CNG as well as LPG cylinders; Catching fire in the transport is very common due to substandard and unchecked cylinders. “The TRANSPORT MAFIA is free to do anything using their trade tactics and are not ready to consider of making the journey safe and sound” said Arshi Abbas, who works in a private office and goes to office daily by van. For making the journey safe and easy, drivers and conductors must check their vehicles regularly as on 13th of August an incident which took place on Garden Road claimed the lives of six people of the same family when their van caught fire. Another incident occurred at Abul Hasan Ispahani Road in May when a CNG cylinder exploded resulting in the death of one person dead and had left many others wounded. It also destroyed a motorcycle and an auto-rickshaw. A similar incident took place on the same location some time later. In November last year, a CNG cylinder blast killed a man and wounded six others near Safari Park. In January 2017, a cylinder placed in a parked taxicab exploded near Khayaban-i-Rahat in the Defence Housing Authority but, fortunately, no one got injured. “In order to prevent such incidents in future the government should take notice and make a law for proper checks in the system and yearly checkups should be ensured of these CNG kits”, people viewed Abdul Ghani a frequent traveler of “Ilyas Coach” said that it is the duty of the government to ban supply of CNG to public vehicles, i.e., Toyota Hi-Ace, buses, vans and coaches, because in case of emergency it is difficult for the passengers to save their lives, the Karachi transport is called mobile bomb which can blast any where. “Even in the CNG Rickshaws, it is very horrible to travel in, and many of them have low quality cylinders which is dangerous for the commuters”, a family commented. People who were resented and annoyed have talked to Daily Times that the official authorities are still waiting for other incidents and that will let them recognize this problem. However, people do persist that these all vehicles’ cylinders should be eco friendly and the government should think about it. Drivers sometimes compensate the fine or pay “chalan”, but vehicles’ cylinders are not changed. A School Principle, Zahid Raza said that to play with the soul of school going kids; transport Mafia has been free to do anything. Finally, it is the duty of traffic police to tackle with this kind of mishaps. DIG Traffic Asif Sheikh was contacted many times for his version but he avoided to response. Published in Daily Times, August 18th 2017.