Drive against use of substandard CNG cylinders starts

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Explosive Department of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division Sunday launched a drive in the city against substandard CNG cylinders used by motor vehicles, reports UNB.brThe drive was intended to check accidents caused by burst and explosion of cylinders resulting in loss of lives. The latest incident of CNG gas cylinder explosion in a microbus took place Saturday at Mohakhali in the city. This incident left the vehicle burnt to ashes.brOfficials said a team of the explosion department led by Chief Inspector ASM Khursidul Alam visited different CNG conversion plants and CNG filling stations in the city's Bijoynagar, Jatrabari and Dholaikhal areas to inspect the condition of gas cylinders in the motor vehicles. brSome unscrupulous businessmen reportedly marketed substandard CNG cylinders posing the risk of explosion of such cylinders.brThe team comprised of representatives of the state-owned Rupantarito Prakritik Gas Company Limited (RPGCL) and the CNG Workshop Owners Association.brSources of the team said they did not find substandard gas cylinders in any of the motor vehicles. We have made random check of motor vehicles standing in queue at filling stations. We've also visited a number of CNG conversion plants. But we didn't find any substandard cylinders, said a senior official of the explosive department.brHe said they would go out for regular inspection against the use of substandard and date-expired gas cylinder in CNG-run motor vehicles.brSimilar drive was launched in February last. The present intensive drive was undertaken in the wake of some tragic incidents of CNG cylinder explosions, added the official.brThe use of CNG as motor fuel started in the country in 1985 and the government encouraged conversion of motor vehicles to gas as fuel since 2001 because of rising price of petroleum.