Nearly 500 diesel engine boats of around 1,700 plying on the Ganga River in Varanasi will be converted into compressed natural gas (CNG) engine boats by November 19, 2021. The exercise will help the river get rid of noise and air pollution caused by the diesel engine boats. Currently, 177 of these big and small boats have been fitted with CNG engines. The work, which was started February 2021, is being done by GAIL India Limited under its corporate social responsibility with a budget of Rs 290 million.
The CNG engines are eco-friendly and economical. Installing it in a small boat costs Rs 150,000 and in a big boat around Rs 250,000. A free CNG kit each is also being installed on the boats. Further, there is a daughter station deployed at the ghat and a dispenser has also been installed on the jetty.