the goan I network
PANAJI
Goa’s environment could soon get a welcome respite from rising vehicle emissions if plans of the country’s top Oil PSU -- Indian Oil Corporation -- to set up Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) facilities and promote the use of the cleaner fossil fuel reaches fruition.
IOC is making a concerted bid to set up retail vending points for CNG and has sought statutory clearances from the Goa administration to set up facilities in at least three locations in North Goa.
The three locations where IOC intends to set up the CNG facilities in North Goa include Heera Petroleum, near KTC bus-stand in Panaji, Goa Auto Service at Colvale and Sairaj Petroleum, in Dhargalim.
Just as in the case of LPG, petrol-fueled vehicles can be modified to switch to CNG by installing components which make it the primary fuel and petrol the back-up fuel.
A switch is installed on the dashboard which gives driver the option to manually select either CNG or petrol. CNG storage cylinders are also fitted underneath or in boots with stainless steel tubes carrying the gas through fuel filters and into High Performance Fuel Injectors for combustion.
Meanwhile, North Goa’s additional collector Vikas Gaunekar called for objections from the public to IOC’s plans for setting up the CNG facilities at these three petrol pumps.
Gaunekar, in a notice published in the official gazette on Thursday last, said the objections should reach his office by September 7.
The Additional Collector said, site plans of the proposals for the CNG facilities at these fuel pumps have been kept for scrutiny at the respective taluka headquarters in Panaji, Mapusa and Pernem. Objections can be also filed at the offices of the respective sub-divisional offices in the taluka headquarters, Gaunekar’s notice adds.
Goa’s growing vehicle population which is already choking the roads is also polluting the environment and cleaner fuels such as CNG could prove handy although introduction of LPG a few years ago didn’t quite take off despite it being a cheaper option.
