Austrian company asked to replace faulty CNG equipment
MASROOR AFZAL PASHA
KARACHI (November 14 2006): The CNG Station Owners Association of Pakistan (CNGSOAP) has asked the Austrian co manufacturer of storage cylinders of compressed natural gas to replace its defective equipment at all 77 stations across the country.
The chairman and president of CNG Station Owners Association of Pakistan (CNGSOAP), Malik Khuda Buksh told Business Recorder on Monday that the manufacturer, Worthington Cylinders GMBH of Austria had supplied some defective equipment like 'storage cylinder' to the CNG station owners.
The Ogra had recently sealed the stations with the faulty CNG equipment. The Association asked them (manufacturer) to replace these equipment and if unable to do so, legal action would be taken against the manufacturing company for business loses and failed to fulfil safety standards.
The storage cylinders marked ISO 9809-1/1999 are allowed by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra), but the equipment imported under ISO 9809-2/2000 are defective to install at CNG stations. The CNG station owners must not compromise on the quality and safety of CNG equipment, he added.
The CNG equipment should be in conformity with the guidelines proposed by the Ogra on the brand name of 'Worthington Cylinders GMBH'. Malik said, the executive committee of the association in a meeting decided to write a letter to the Austrian company and informed them regarding such serious problems being faced by the CNG station owners in the country.
Meanwhile, the association contacted the local agent of Worthington and requested them to immediately remove all cylinders with marking ISO 9809-2/2000 from the market which are installed at numerous CNG stations and asked their supplier to stop supply of such equipment against the orders have already been placed.
He said, "No leniency should be given to illegal roadside workshops of compressed natural gas (CNG) by the regulatory authority, which are operating without any license and safety guidelines and posing serious threat to the consumers."
"The association decided that these illegal roadside CNG conversion workshops should be banned," he added. He said, the association urged the authorities to immediately take strict action against such menace to avoid any future accident to save life and property of CNG vehicle owners.
Furthermore, the local agent also asked their supplier to immediately replace defective cylinders with the standardised cylinders, which are in conformity with the CNG rules. In this regard, speedy action needed to be taken so that supply of CNG is not disrupted. It was also decided that the federal government be requested to take measures against price exploitation of cascade cylinders brands by the hoarders.
In connection to this it was recommended that storage cascade cylinders should be imported directly by the station owners at the time of importing CNG equipment and compressors etc. so that safety standards could be ensured and price exploitation could be curbed.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2006