The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) conducted a CNG Awareness Workshop on May 21, which brought together stakeholders from major vehicle manufacturers, petroleum & gas industry, retrofitment industry and concerned government bodies. The workshop was intended to bring the latest technologies and safety measures to the notice of the 150 technicians and authorities who attended the workshop. The workshop also addressed the loose ends in the retrofitment industry which needed to be addressed.

The first session for the workshop was opened by Vishnu Mathur, Director General, Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). He said that mobility has evolved over the past few decades and the introduction of CNG has played a major part in the same.

Speaking on the occasion, the guest of honor, Mr Bhure Lal, Chairman, Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority, said that the safety and security around the use of CNG as a vehicle fuel were the major challenges that need to be addressed. He also spoke about the need for CNG as a fuel emerged at the fag-end of the last century when Delhi and NCR region were extremely polluted. Vehicle pollution constituted only about 20% of the pollution, the situation only worsened over the past couple of decades with a rapid increase in the vehicle density in the region. He urged the entire fraternity to be diligent with their work as they would chart the course of transportation system in the region and consequently in the country.

Also speaking in the first session, Mr Ujwal Bhandari, General Manager, O&M, Indraprastha Gas Limited and Mr B Singh, Controller of Explosives, Petroleum and Explosives safety Organization, who stressed the need for proper maintenance of CNG vehicles.

The second session for the day started with a presentation on the overview of CNG program in India by Mr Jitendra Malhotra of Maruti Suzuki India, where he reiterated that the future of CNG as a fuel was bright, provided necessary safety measures were taken. Mr Vipul Bajpai, CLH Gaseous fuel applications Experience with CNG retrofitment in buses, also put forward his experience in the field. The session concluded with a refresher course on CNG safety which was provided by Mr Vishal Singhal, Advantek Fuel Systems.