The Government of Punjab has decided that within three years all public transport in the province would be run on CNG in order to overcome environmental pollution. As a first step the existing diesel engine operated buses will be converted on priority, and then additional green buses will be inducted.
Apparently, the proposal is well meaning, but lacks practicality. The question is whether we have the requisite gas available at this point of time. In fact there is already shortage of natural gas in the country. Total production of natural gas at present is 0.81 trillion cubic feet, whereas the demand is about 0.95 trillion cubic feet, growing at a pessimistic rate of 6% per year. Development of new discoveries, totalling approximately one billion cubic feet, is in hand though, but most of it has already been allocated to the thermal power projects approved recently.
Will it be asking the Punjab government too much to plan properly the introduction of CNG-based transport system taking into consideration the future gas scenario?
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