Mumbai continues to reel under a severe energy crisis after gas supply collapsed on Sunday, forcing CNG pumps to shut down from Monday. (Pics Satej Shinde and Nimesh Dave)
Several auto-rickshaws and around two thousand school buses are stuck without CNG. The School Bus Owners’ Association is facing huge losses, and students are suffering. Private buses are being hired at Rs 12,000 for two trips of 10 kilometres. Autos and taxis are holding citizens to ransom
Long queues for refuelling and a near standstill of autos, taxis and other CNG vehicles caused widespread disruption across the city. With Mahanagar Gas stating that the issue is likely to be resolved only by noon on Tuesday, commuters are bracing for another chaotic day
Harried citizens faced severe problems as autos and cabs refused long-distance rides or demanded double and triple fares, especially from those running on petrol or limited reserve CNG
The disruption triggered chaos across the city, with long queues at operational pumps and thousands of CNG-run autos, taxis, and Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) buses stranded
Petrol Dealers Association (Mumbai) President Chetan Modi said, “Mumbai has around 130–140 CNG pumps; a large number have been non-functional since morning. I have kept my own pump shut, as there is no pressure”
MGL confirmed that restoration work is underway on a “war footing” and urged commercial and industrial users to temporarily shift to alternative fuels until normal supply resumes
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