What s behind the logjam?
The Supreme Court (SC) asserted during the September 9, 2002 hearing that the real reason for the long queues of vehicles in Delhi is not the availability of compressed natural gas (CNG), but poor planning of gas infrastructure.
Thirty per cent of CNG dispensing company Indraprastha Gas Limited's total investment in 2000-01 is made in daughter and daughter booster stations (see graph). But this seems to be money going down the drain. Because these stations, though constituting about 60 per cent of the total number, sell only 15 per cent of gas. Their dispensing capacity is limited due to their not being equipped with compressors. As against this the remaining 40 per cent, which are mother stations or online stations, have to cater to 85 per cent of the total CNG demand. These stations are connected to the main gas pipeline and can, therefore, dispense higher quantities. The result of this skewed policy is greater rush of vehicles at the few stations that dispense more.