CNG stations require a gas pressure of 12 to 15 pounds per square inch (psi) but have been getting only 7 psi and sometimes the pressure is as low as 3 psi, leaving the stations limp, unable to cope with the demand. It is certainly not sufficient to produce the CNG they require. As a result they are losing customers.

Mohammad Raju Morad, owner of Super CNG in Tejgaon said: "The minimum inlet gas pressure promised by Titas is 15 psi, but is reducing to 7.5 psi on a regular basis. When the pressure is as low as this, the machine cannot produce gas."

The CNG station owners also mentioned frequent power outage for long periods as another reason for not being able to produce gas.

"The generators cannot cover the electricity requirement during power cuts, and two of the four machines do not operate with generators. Thus vehicles have to line up for long to obtain gas," said a manager of another CNG re-fuelling station in Tejgaon.

CNG station owners said that the non-availability of gas pressure, are causing them a loss of almost 50 percent of their daily income, and the power cuts are adding to the problem. At most instances these stations put up a 'No Gas Available' sign putting the CNG run vehicle owners in even more difficulties.

Those mostly affected are drivers of CNG-run taxicabs and three-wheelers.

"I waited for almost 45 minutes in the cue. I can't afford to use petrol. The money I earn driving this three-wheeler is not enough for me to even pay the daily rent,” said an angry driver who impatiently waited in a long queue at one of the filling stations at Tejgaon.

Meanwhile, residents from Tejgaon, Mirpur, Mohammad-pur and other areas alleged that the long queues in front of the CNG stations have resulted in an intensified traffic jam as vehicles cannot pass by, because the vehicles waiting for occupy a large area of road space.

When Titas Gas Transmis-sion and Distribution Company Ltd was contacted for comments, Aminur Rahman, director of operations, said there were instructions from the government high ups to deliver bulk amounts of gas to the electricity and fertilizer production sectors as they need it more now. He said that this was one of the main reasons why optimum pressure of gas at the filling stations is not available.

Commercial factories around the city get the same pressure through the lines used for supplying gas to residences. This is another reason why the pressure runs very low.

Another Titas official echoing the same notion as Rahman said a project for the installation of a 16 inched gas pipeline in the city is underway and is expected to be complete by June.

When this project is complete, a higher capacity of gas will be supplied to the CNG stations, which cannot be done at the moment with the conventional pipes with smaller diameter, he said.

Until the new pipelines are installed, vehicle owners should get used to the idea of waiting in long cues at the CNG re-fuelling stations.