Mumbai: Compressed natural gas (CNG) has become costlier across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) from Sunday, with Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL) hiking the retail price by a rupee per kg. The revision takes the CNG rate to Rs 82 per kg in Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai and other parts of the region, impacting a large section of daily commuters as autos, taxis and buses continue to rely heavily on the fuel.Mumbai Rickshawmen’s Union leader Thampy Kurien said that the increase in gas prices will lead to rise in operational costs as the fuel has become expensive over the past year. He added that the union may also seek a minimum one rupee hike in autorickshaw fares, with the fuel rates going up.The price of domestic piped natural gas (PNG), ,however, remains unchanged at Rs 50 per unit. This has brought relief to 31 lakh households across MMR, which have piped cooking gas, as they will not face any increase in prices. Said a MGL official: “Due to the combined effects of geopolitical disruptions, reduced domestic gas allocation, increased reliance on higher-cost gas sources, elevated crude oil prices, a higher exchange rate, and revised trade margins, overall gas procurement costs have increased significantly. This has resulted in the one-rupee CNG hike.”The official further stated: “Despite the price adjustment, CNG continues to offer significant savings compared to alternativefuels. At the revised price, CNG provides approximately 46% savings compared to petrol and 9% savings compared to diesel, based on current fuel prices in Mumbai.”Over the past year, the CNG vehicle population in the Mumbai region has risen by around two lakh vehicles — a 20% jump — taking the total to over 12 lakh. Vehicle registrations indicate the scale of dependence on CNG in public transport and last-mile connectivity. The CNG fleet in MMR includes about 4.7 lakh auto-rickshaws and over 1.6 lakh taxis, along with more than five lakh private cars spread across Mumbai, Thane, Mira-Bhayander, Navi Mumbai and Raigad.On the mass transport front, MGL supplies CNG to 1,969 buses operated by BEST, TMT, MSRTC and NMMT. It also fuels 51,311 private buses and tempos running on CNG, underlining the fuel’s central role in keeping the region’s transport system moving.
