Pune: Motorists across the city are rushing to compressed natural gas (CNG) filling stations amid rising prices for the fuel.Several CNG stations have been witnessing long queues, especially autorickshaws and cabs.Autorickshaw and cab drivers are trying to maximise trips to sustain their income, but many of them are losing valuable working hours waiting to refuel. For instance, a petrol-cum-CNG station on Shankarsheth Road on Thursday saw nearly 70-80 autorickshaws and 40-50 cabs queued up for refuelling.Atiqh Shaikh was among the autorickshaw drivers at the station. He had already spent around an hour in the queue. “I have been waiting for 50 minutes and, looking at the queue ahead, it would take another 45-50 minutes before my turn. If I spend nearly two hours just waiting to refuel, when am I supposed to earn? This problem isn’t new, but with CNG prices rising, the desperation has only increased,” he said.The situation remained equally frustrating for private vehicle owners. Prahlad Khedekar, a Swargate resident who owns a hybrid car that runs on CNG and petrol. He said the savings offered by CNG come at the cost of time. “CNG costs Rs 95.75 per kg, while petrol is Rs 111.52 per litre. Despite the difference, getting CNG often means waiting for 45-50 minutes. I continue to use CNG because it saves money. However, it disrupts my routine. The government must address the inconvenience faced by common citizens,” said Khedekar, who works with an educational institution.For many, it is a story of livelihood, but the queues have altered their schedules. Ganesh Nathe, an autorickshaw driver, said, “I leave home at 5am and head straight to the fuel station, hoping to beat the queue. Many others, however, have the same idea, and I still end up waiting for over 40 minutes. The delay has been affecting my regular customers, and the time spent in queue could have been used to earn money and offset rising fuel costs,” he said.Many drivers believed that queues were a result of the shortage of dispensing infrastructure. Maharashtra Natural Gas Limited (MNGL), which supplies CNG in Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad, Hinjewadi and Talegaon, currently operates 131 CNG stations. On the other hand, Torrent Gas runs around 50-60 stations in Pune’s rural areas. Together, they cater to over 2.5 lakh CNG-powered vehicles, including private cars, autorickshaws and cabs.An MNGL official said the company has planned 20 additional stations, but land availability, approvals and coordination with oil companies would take time.Dhruv Ruparel, president of the Petrol Dealers Association, Pune, said the district urgently needed robust CNG infrastructure. “Filling CNG takes longer than petrol or diesel, which naturally leads to queues. Pune requires at least 140-150 additional CNG stations. As an interim measure, companies can increase dispensing units at existing ones.”“However, space constraints and safety regulations make setting up new stations a lengthy process,” he said.Keshav Kshirsagar, president of the Baghtoy Rickshawala Union, said the issue directly impacts drivers’ livelihoods. “The time spent waiting for fuel could easily earn a driver Rs 300-400.” In the current economic situation, losing that income per day would cause distress. We have repeatedly raised the issue with MNGL and would now take it up with the administration,” he said.
