Govt to roll out 50 CNG buses in Jan
PATNA: In a bid to fight air pollution, the state transport department will roll out 50 CNG buses and 12 new pumps in Patna in January. The routes on which the new buses will ply have not been decided yet. At present the Bihar State Road Transport Corporation runs 20 buses converted from diesel to CNG on the Bailey Road, Danapur and Phulwarisharif routes. Transport department secretary Sanjay Kumar Agarwal told TOI on Thursday, “The new CNG buses, which are highly efficient and economical, will help curb air pollution.” He added that low-floor CNG buses like the ones in Delhi were likely to be introduced in Patna. The department has also decided to either convert all the diesel-run autorickshaws into CNG or replace them with new ones. Patna has nearly 5,000 CNG-based autos at present. “With a view to ensuring that CNG is easily available, 12 more pumps are being set up in Patna,” Agarwal said. CNG supply began after the inauguration of the Patna City Gas Distribution network by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Begusarai on February 17, 2019. According to officials, efforts to run eco-friendly vehicles are being taken to control the city’s pollution levels. Patna is one of the most polluted cities in the world, a major reason for which is vehicular emissions. In 2018, the Bihar State Pollution Control Board had released an action plan that envisaged use of cleaner fuels like CNG.
