Mumbai continued to face major CNG shortages on Tuesday, November 18, as long queues of autos and taxis formed outside fuel pumps across the city following a gas pipeline damage that disrupted supply for the third consecutive day. The shortage triggered a sharp surge in fares on platforms like Ola, Uber and Rapido, making office travel difficult for commuters.
Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL) told CNBC-TV18 that CNG supply to pumps is expected to be restored by Tuesday afternoon. “Our focus is to keep the PNG supply smooth. We have started supply to some petrol pumps, but the pressure is low,” the company said.
MGL MD Ashu Singhal added that full normalcy may return by noon or evening. “We sell around 4 mmscmd of gas in Mumbai, of which around 2 mmscmd comes from the Wadala station,” he said.
Several CNG pumps across Mumbai have remained shut since the morning of November 17 due to low gas pressure. A large proportion of autos, taxis — including Ola, Uber and other aggregator fleets — and some BEST buses depend on CNG supplied by MGL.
The disruption was caused by third-party damage to GAIL’s main supply pipeline located inside the Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers (RCF) compound. The damage affected the flow into MGL’s City Gate Station at Wadala, a key entry point for gas supply in the region.
The shortage also hit school transportation. Anil Garg, who heads a school bus operators’ association, said many buses across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region struggled to access CNG and were forced to combine routes.
Mumbai and its suburbs have around 398 CNG pumps, of which 152 fall within the city limits. A GAIL official told CNBC-TV18 that construction activity by a third party punctured the main line. “Our primary focus is restoration. We will then initiate an inquiry. There are signboards and warnings to avoid construction near supply lines — we will investigate how this activity was allowed,” the official said.