Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on January 1, flagged off 100 new compressed natural gas (CNG) run buses for the benefit of city dwellers and also inaugurated the city’s first CNG fuel station near the inter-State bus terminus of Guwahati.
Gifted by the Guwahati smart city limited (under its Smart City Mission) to Assam State transport corporation (ASTC) for operation, the CNG-run buses are equipped with air-conditioning, fire-detection, global positioning systems, etc. The fuel station is set up by Purba Bharti Gas Limited.
Addressing a public meeting on the occasion, Sarma commented that the launch of CNG buses and the inauguration of the CNG fuel station was a decisive step towards gradual but firm mitigation of the impacts of climate change and global warming. Attributing excessive use of fossil fuels such as petrol and diesel as a prime reason behind the trend of global warming, Sarma stated that the carbon emissions from the use of such sources of energy were creating climatic imbalances in many parts of the globe.
“It is important that we work unitedly towards mitigating the impact of climate change and work out a long-term and permanent solution. The clean and green energy like CNG holds the answer to the problem,” said Sarma, adding that all over the world major cities have already witnessed a significant transition to clean energy sources in many areas.
By next March, Purba Bharti would be operating at least 5 CNG stations in the city and in a couple of years, the total number of such fuel stations would go up to 50 in numbers, he stated adding that gradually other public transport vehicles would also be brought under the ambit of CNG.
He lauded the initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in implementing the gas-grid project which would help CNG stations in Assam to get a regular gas supply. In presence of State ministers Ashok Singhal, Bimal Bora, Parimal Shuklabaidya with other dignitaries, Sarma urged the State’s transport department to make use of the 100 new CNG buses as an opportunity to transform itself into a profit-making organisation.
