Delhi: Illegal CNG kits cheaper, but no guarantee of safety

NEW DELHI: Getting a CNG kit from an unauthorised dealer might not guarantee the safety of your vehicle. Counterfeit products and illegal fittings masked as original CNG kits have flooded the markets in Delhi. Some dealers also offer alteration in the fuel type mentioned in the registration certificate (RC) of the vehicle through touts at the transport department for a meagre Rs 1,000.

Owners of most cars that do not come with a factory-fitted CNG kit go for after-market fitments, which are cheap but come without a warranty. Dealers said these kits are imported from China and modified to fulfill Indian specifications. According to an estimate, about 30% of the vehicles plying in the city have CNG kits.



The transport department said there are only 41 authorised CNG fitment units in Delhi, but in reality 2,000-3,000 dealers operate without being checked. “Workshops for retro fitment of CNG kits in vehicles have to first register with Delhi government. Retailers also have to get the government’s approval before being allowed to import and distribute kits,” a senior transport department official said.

“The transport department has digitised the entire process to curb the entry of spurious kits in the market. The CNG kits at the 41 authorised workshops are randomly checked and a watch is kept on the quality. Also, companies have to go through rigorous checks before they are allowed to import kits,” the official said.

There are different stages of approvals and checks involved before a vehicle is retrofitted with a CNG kit, including third party checks.

In June 2016, Delhi government had stopped the registration of vehicles retrofitted with CNG kits, except for factory-fitted ones. The suspension had come in the wake of several complaints about substandard kits being fitted in vehicles and lack of proper checking by the transport department. However, the ban was revoked in September 2016.

An after-market CNG kit comes for Rs 30,000-35,000 with an additional Rs 1,000 for a change in the RC. “The owners have to just get their vehicles verified by the transport department for the change. Though there is no warranty on the kit, we haven’t received complaints on most of those sold by us,” said a shop owner in Anand Vihar.

A dealer in Dwarka said half a dozen car owners come to them for the conversion kit daily. “The kits that we have are standardised for all vehicles, except for a few minor modifications. At times, the workers fitting these kits make mistakes in laying the pipes, which leads to leakages and accidents,” he added.