Indraprastha Gas Limited has begun denying refuelling to vehicles without a valid CNG cylinder hydro test certificate and is introducing an automated verification system at its stations to strengthen safety compliance across Delhi-NCR and other operating areas.
The technology-enabled system has been initiated at 10 CNG stations. Cameras capture a vehicle’s registration number, which is processed through an artificial intelligence-based application. The application links the vehicle to its CNG cylinder records and checks whether the cylinder is valid or expired through the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation’s online portal.
The compliance status is made available in real time. Alerts are generated at stations through handheld devices, LED displays and public announcement systems, allowing station personnel to identify vehicles that do not meet the certification requirement before refuelling.
IGL said it is conducting the safety drive across all its CNG stations. Station personnel are checking cylinder validity and verifying hydro test certificates, while company officers are making regular visits to ensure that CNG is dispensed only to vehicles carrying valid certificates.
The automated system is intended to reduce dependence on manual checks, provide centralised visibility of compliance data and enable timely intervention when a vehicle is found to be non-compliant. IGL has proposed rolling it out across all its CNG stations in due course, although the company has not provided a specific completion timeline in the information available.
The initiative is also part of a wider digital safety ecosystem under which CNG cylinder certification information could eventually be integrated with vehicle-related databases, subject to the applicable regulatory framework. Such integration would shift certification checks from a largely document-based process at individual stations towards a centralised, vehicle-linked verification system.
The certification requirement is linked to Rule 35, sub-rule (1), of the Gas Cylinder (Amended) Rules, 2025. Under the rule, every CNG cylinder must undergo hydrotesting at a PESO-approved cylinder testing centre once every three years. The hydro test is intended to establish whether a cylinder remains fit for continued use under the applicable safety requirements.
The enforcement has implications for a large and geographically distributed CNG network. IGL operates more than 30,000 km of pipeline across Delhi, Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, Rewari, Faridabad, Gurugram, Karnal, Kaithal, Fatehpur, Ajmer, Pali, Rajsamand, Hamirpur, Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, Banda, Chitrakoot, Mahoba and parts of Kanpur and Meerut.
The company caters to more than 2.1 million CNG vehicles through over 1,000 CNG stations and has connected nearly 3.5 million households with piped natural gas. For vehicle owners, the immediate operational requirement is to maintain a valid hydro test certificate if they wish to continue refuelling at IGL stations.
IGL’s next step is the proposed expansion of the automated verification system from the initial 10 stations to its wider CNG station network, subject to the applicable regulatory framework.
