CHENNAI: Though a growing number of vehicles are shifting to compressed natural gas (CNG) due to its lower running cost and better mileage, the Chennai region lags behind in adequate infrastructure, paving way for long queues and uncertain supplies at filling stations.
As per central government data, around 1.25 lakh CNG, petrol-CNG and diesel-CNG vehicles have been registered at RTO offices in Chennai and neighbouring districts since 2020. Of these, close to 85,000 are CNG-only vehicles.
According to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), Chennai and Tiruvallur geographical area had 87 operational CNG stations as of April 2026, while the Kancheepuram geographical had 52.
Tamil Nadu Petrol Dealers Association president KP Murali said inconsistent supply is a concern for dealers. He added a significant portion of CNG supplied to filling stations comes from private companies, making availability dependent on their supply schedules.
Chennai Tourist Car Operator’s Association (CTCOA) president T Anbalagan said the limited availability of CNG was particularly inconvenient for commercial vehicle operators. A Marimuthu, a cab driver, said, “It takes 30 minutes to more than an hour to get CNG filled. I have to travel to Maraimalai Nagar, where I can get it in 15 to 20 minutes.”
S Balasubramaniam, general secretary of the Auto-Taxi Workers Association, said availability of land was another hurdle to expanding the network.