CNG-driven vehicles a veritable deathtrap
It is unfortunate that three members of a family were killed and four others were injured in a microbus CNG cylinder blast in Tangail last Tuesday. According to our report, when the microbus was passing a speed breaker without lowering the speed, one of its two gas cylinders exploded and the vehicle caught fire, resulting in the deaths.
Now, the questions that naturally arise are: Did the vehicle have the necessary fitness certificate to be on the road in the first place? Why were there two cylinders in the microbus instead of one? Were the cylinders in the vehicle being used past their expiry dates? Also, who is the authority to check if these gas cylinders are in serviceable condition?
It is common knowledge that when it comes to using CNG cylinders in vehicles, the users must take some precautions. Special care needs to be taken for proper maintenance, replacement and disposal of these pressurised cylinders. So it is important to know the useful life of a CNG cylinder and strictly follow the recommended replacement times. But these things are hardly checked by the authorities. Many vehicle owners install low-quality cylinders in the cars only for cutting the cost. These vehicles are like mobile bombs that can explode anytime, if strict oversight is not ensured on the use of the CNG in transport. In this particular case, the owner of the vehicle and the driver must be held accountable for not taking the needed precautions and also for installing two gas cylinders instead of one.
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