A couple of weeks back, we had reported that the Government is planning to increase the prices of CNG by upto 50%. The Government was going to take this step because the gas had to be imported from other countries due to its growing demand these days. Many people were worried that because of the CNG price hike, the cost of the public transport like rickshaws and taxis would also increase subsequently. Many private car owners also felt that the huge amount they spent in converting their cars to CNG would get almost wasted if the running cost increases significantly.
Now worry not! The Bombay High Court has directed our Government to not increase the CNG prices, at least till December 19. The High Court judges said that even if the Government decides to hike the prices, the new prices won’t be implemented till December 19. Justice V M Kanade and Justice M S Sonak heard a petition by the Mumbai Rickshaw Union regarding the gas prices. Advocate G S Hegde said that the price hike would affect transport as well as households significantly. The Advocate also added that no further decision has been taken to cut the gas supply.
In Gujarat, CNG costs almost double than that of Mumbai. That is because there the gas is imported whereas here the gas is supplied by Mahanagar Gas Limited which receives subsidized APM supply. The Government had revised the quota of APM supply of gas recently. We had reported that the price would be hiked by as much as 50% and that would take the CNG price to almost Rs. 60/kg. Right now, Compressed Natural Gas costs Rs. 38.95/kg. If the price is really hiked, motorists would have no choice of any cheaper mode of travel.
