U.S. Govt. Sponsors CNG Safety Training Program in Delhi

January 18, 2003

NEW DELHI - A six-day training program on safety issues surrounding the maintenance and inspection of compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles, filling stations and on-board storage cylinders will be held in New Delhi from January 20 - 26, 2003.

Organized by the US-Asia Environmental Partnership (USAEP) with financial support from the US Department of Energy, the program will be jointly conducted by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and the National Alternate Fuels Training Consortium (NAFTC) of West Virginia, US.

The training will include an overview for policy and decision-makers on inspection, maintenance and safety with a special focus on CNG. This will be followed by intensive class room and shop floor training for vehicle operators, dispensing station operators and automobile and auto component manufacturers. The program is to be replicated in other cities and is designed to develop a cadre of trainers with the eventual hope of the creation of an alternate fuels training institute for CNG and other alternate auto fuels such as LPG.

Delhi, chosen as the hub for this training, is the first city in the world where almost all public transport vehicles, including auto rickshaws, taxis, mini buses, as well as all heavy duty buses, have been converted to run on CNG in accordance with the orders of the Supreme Court of India in 2001. Despite this remarkable transition, safety and maintenance issues regarding the use of CNG fueled vehicles remains an issue.

The US-Asia Environmental Partnership (USAEP) is a program of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).