The Delhi government’s transport department has issued a ban on retrofitting CNG conversion kits on ‘in-use’ cars, following complaints received on uncertified kits retrofitted by unauthorized dealers. The ban has indefinitely stopped car owners in Delhi from installing CNG kits in their cars as both authorised as well as unauthorised dealers have stopped accepting orders for new CNG kits.
The State Transport Department said that several CNG conversion kits available in the after-market were not approved or certified by the designated authorities. As a result, the unapproved CNG kits are risky to use due to its flammable nature and can be hazardous for the life of passengers. The state government wants to stop the use of such unsafe CNG conversion kits available in the market and has instructed all Motor Licensing Officers (MLO) to stop registration of those vehicles from here on that have been converted to CNG using unapproved conversion kits.
The state government has mentioned that the ban will continue until there is a complete inquiry into the matter, but a timeframe for the ban has not been specified by the government. Nevertheless, the ban does not affect cars that get factory fitted CNG kits directly from the manufacturer and can be registered with ease.
Given the safety reasons, the ban is a welcome and will ensure that those taking up illegal fitments of CNG kits are reprimanded. There have been enough cases across the country, wherein vehicles have caught fire due to the vehicle running on unsafe CNG kits.
Interestingly, the central government recently commenced the CNG powered two-wheeler pilot programme in Delhi involving 50 Activa scooters with CNG kits that were approved by ARAI. The scooters have been given to fast food chain Domino’s Pizza delivery guys, who will be using the same and help the government collect data from the usage. The move could be the first step towards having CNG powered two wheelers in the country.
PTI