Motorists switch to dangerous LPG

SURAT, NOV 28: Behind the back seat of Mohan Jain's Maruti van is a cylinder of liquefied petroleum gas LPG, bound to the floor with ho...

SURAT, NOV 28: Behind the back seat of Mohan Jain8217;s Maruti van is a cylinder of liquefied petroleum gas LPG, bound to the floor with hoops. From the cylinder a metal tube leads to the engine, which has been adapted to run on LPG. Should the van crash, should a valve fail, should one of several vulnerable points overheat, a flame could whoosh down the tube in an instant, exploding the cylinder.

8220;I have been clearly told that you will be blown to pieces if this explodes while riding. But then, people have been dying in regular accidents as well,8221; says Jain.

Hundreds of motorists like Jain have had special kits fitted in their vehicles to run them on LPG. They know it is illegal, and they know it is extremely dangerous, but they seem willing to run the risk of being caught, or worse, being blown up.

Their choice is dictated by the substantial fuel savings LPG brings. A cylinderful of domestic gas costs Rs 160 and will run a car 300 kms on average, which works out to less than Re 1 per km. Motorists find it worthwhile in the long run to spend about Rs 14,000 for having their vehicles kitted out for LPG. This has meant good business for 50 odd auto centres in the city.

The brand of kit commonly sold is BRC8217;, Made in Italy8217;. It costs Rs 7,500-10,000, depending upon the engine capacity of the vehicle it is adapted for, and comes with a year8217;s No Leakage, No Smell, No Problem8217; guarantee. Additionally, mechanics charge Rs 2,500 for the steel gas-cylinder, about Rs 1,000 for the fitting.

The kits leave open the option of switching to diesel or petrol. To make the switch, the driver only has to press a button on a panel fixed near the steering wheel.

This arrangement ensures he isn8217;t stranded, should he run out of gas. But LPG-run vehicles have become so common in south Gujarat, that gas vendors do business on the highways, ferrying about refill cylinders in auto-rickshaws.Zaheerbhai, who runs a garage in the Sagrampura area, says the 8220;mileage8221; of common parlance is the most effective sales pitch for the kits. He keeps a printed list of various makes of four-wheeler and the number of kilometres they will run on a cylinderful of gas. In the last six months he has fitted the kits on some 25 vehicles.

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For assurance, he also gives customers photocopies of a 8220;High Court judgment8221; that he claims has allowed the use of LPG as vehicle fuel. The pages of the original are soiled, the typing is barely visible. Only the heading is legible: 8220;High Court of Gujarat. Dated 19/02/98.8221; Another auto-spares dealer name withheld gives this sales talk to prospective customers: 8220;Buy now. It is illegal for the moment, but will cost even higher, for soon the government is making it legal. Now we are charging some Rs 11,000, but soon you will have to pay Rs 20,000.8221; In the last six months, he has converted some 50 cars to run on LPG.

Other auto centres and garages in the Varachha, A.K. Road, Piplod, Katargam, and Salabatpura areas, too, are doing good business in the kits. Till now they have been converting only four-wheelers to run on LPG, but very soon they hope to be able to do so for two-wheelers. Transport department officials, however, say that, by the Motor Vehicles Act, it is clearly illegal to run vehicles on LPG. 8220;CNG compressed natural gas is allowed, definitely not LPG. And as far as we are concerned, we haven8217;t received any government circular that LPG is going to be made legally-permitted fuel soon,8221; an official said.

But motorists seem least bothered by the illegality. Says Afzal Pathan, a taxi driver, 8220;The transport department guys ask for a Rs 2,000 fine. As good as getting a new cylinder installed. We end the matter there and then by giving them about Rs 50.8221;