Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has criticised the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for its proposed amendments to the existing emissions norms for CNG and LPG vehicles. These are inadequate to address the flaws in the current regulations and still do not recognise that cleaner fuels like CNG can meet much tighter standards which can also ensure better quality control in conversion and manufacturing of buses to make the vehicles safer. Worse, a safety inspection system for CNG vehicles is still not in place.

NEW DELHI, AUGUST 22, 2001: Yet another incident of fire in a CNG station. Are you surprised that CNG vehicles catch fire or experience gas leaks? You should not be because no safety rules or inspection mechanisms are in place even though there are thousands of CNG vehicles on Delhi roads. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MRTH) is responsible for weak regulations for CNG vehicles, inappropriate emission norms and highly convoluted certification procedures and has not yet set adequate safety guidelines or inspection procedures either for new CNG buses or for converted CNG buses, autos and cars.

The ministry has also set very poor emission norms for CNG vehicles, which do not help the city to get the full benefits of moving to CNG and allows very poor technology to come onto the roads. According to the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) no provisions have been made for the inspection of in-use buses after conversion to CNG whereby each and every converted bus undergoes inspection of the engine and high pressure fuel storage and piping systems before being allowed onto the road. This kind of an inspection programme should subsequently be undertaken every year for all operating CNG vehicles to check emissions and safety compliance.

The current CNG emission standards do not recognize that CNG is a cleaner fuel and can meet much tighter emission norms than the current standards which only require the converted buses to meet emission standards meant for diesel and petrol vehicles in their year of manufacture.

These flaws were exposed when the CSE conducted an independent assessment of the CNG technology and regulations with the help of international experts, which it has just released. It has also sent its objections to the draft notification of the MRTH seeking amendment to its earlier notification on CNG emissions standards.

CSE's independent assessment was conducted by three international experts on vehicular technology, which found that there is considerable scope of improvement in the emissions regulations and engineering features of buses to make the technology safe for operation. Christopher Weaver, President, Engine, Fuel, and Emissions Engineering, Inc., USA, Lennart Erlandsson of Motor Testing Centre, Sweden, and Frank Dursbeck formerly with TUV Rheinland Sicherheit Und Umweltschutz GMBH, Germany, all with wide experience in CNG technology and heavy-duty diesel technology, evaluated currently
available CNG technology in India. The experts visited all concerned agencies including certification agencies like Automotive Research Association of India, Indian Institute of Petroleum, the workshops of two bus manufacturers -- TELCO and Ashok Leyland, conversion agencies -- Rare technologies and VIP Buildcon, and CNG users like DTC. Only one conversion agency, Nugas, refused to meet the experts. They also visited several CNG dispensation stations of Indraprastha Gas Limited in the capital.

Some of the key suggestions that CSE has made to the MRTH include:

	Inspect each and every bus before it is allowed on road.
All CNG buses must undergo an inspection of the engine and high-pressure fuel storage system before being allowed on road. This inspection program should subsequently be made annual for all operating CNG vehicles to check the emissions and safety compliance.