New Delhi: To prevent CNG vehicles without a valid cylinder hydrotest certificate from refuelling, Indraprastha Gas Ltd (IGL) Thursday launched an artificial intelligence-enabled vehicle recognition system at 10 CNG stations in the capital.
“If a cylinder’s certification has expired or is invalid, automated alerts are immediately sent to station staff via handheld devices, LED displays and public announcement systems, enabling quick action before refuelling,” IGL said. The system uses station cameras to capture vehicle registration numbers, which are processed through an AI application linked to the online Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) portal to verify the hydrotest status of CNG cylinders. The AI system supplements the existing manual checks carried out by station staff. CNG cylinders must undergo hydrotesting once every three years at PESO-approved testing centres. Following a cylinder blast at a retail outlet in the capital in Aug, PESO had asked all city gas distribution companies to strictly enforce safety norms at CNG stations. The vehicle involved in the blast had additional cylinders illegally mounted on it.
The company operates over 300 CNG stations across 12 geographical areas covering 32 districts in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan. CNG is also available at nearly 650 petrol pumps operated by oil marketing companies.
IGL said the system would soon be installed at all its CNG stations across Delhi-NCR and other cities under its jurisdiction. IGL managing director Kumar Shanker said every vehicle entering an IGL station should undergo prescribed safety checks to protect customers, employees and the public.