Gas Cylinders Rules amended for CNG/CBG Mobile Refuelling Units: who may own one, where it may dispense and what safety conditions apply

What has been notified

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has notified the Gas Cylinder (Third Amendment) Rules, 2026 by G.S.R. 831(E) dated 21 September 2026, under sections 5 and 7 of the Explosives Act, 1884. The draft was published on 10 June 2026 (G.S.R. 461(E)) for objections and suggestions, which the Central Government has considered. The rules come into force on their final publication in the Official Gazette.

Two changes are made to the Gas Cylinders Rules, 2016:

• A proviso is added to rule 6(4): CNG/CBG may be dispensed into motor vehicles or the equipment specified in the new Condition 22.
• A new Condition 22 is inserted in Form G — “Additional conditions for CNG/CBG Mobile Refueling Units (MRUs)”.

What an MRU is

A mobile assembly — storage cascade, dispensing unit, piping, hoses, valves, safety fittings, emergency shut down system and associated equipment — mounted on a vehicle, trailer, skid or other mobile platform, for dispensing CNG/CBG into approved on-board fuel cylinders at a site specifically approved for the purpose.

Ownership and attachment

What may be refuelled

• Non-transport vehicles operating within mines covered by the Mines Act, 1952, or within ports notified by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
• Locomotives of the Indian Railways.
• Ships or boats on inland or seaborne waterways, approved by the competent maritime or inland waterways authority.
• Engines under test at testing laboratories authorised by the Central Government.

In exceptional circumstances, for reasons recorded in writing and with additional safeguards, the Chief Controller may permit refuelling of heavy equipment, machinery or heavy vehicles that cannot be brought to a fuel dispensing station. The list of vehicles must be vetted by the Directorate General of Mines Safety, the Conservator of Ports, the railway administration, the Inland Waterways Authority of India or other competent authority, and kept at the site.

Safety conditions

• An MRU above 10,000 litres total water capacity is not to be used unless specifically permitted by the Chief Controller.
• A fail-safe, manually operable ESD system, operable from at least two accessible locations.
• Cascade cylinders designed to IS-7285, ISO-9809, ISO-11119 or another accepted code, with maximum allowable working pressure not exceeding 250 Bar gauge unless specifically approved.
• Dispensing area fenced or barricaded, with warning signs in English, Hindi and the local language; no smoking, open flame, mobile phone use or hot work.
• A trained responsible person of the CGD entity or Form E&F licensee to supervise refuelling.
• A site-specific emergency plan, submitted to the District Magistrate, fire service and police, displayed and tested through mock drills.

What licensees should do

CGD companies and Form E&F licensees planning mobile refuelling should get the MRU assembly approved, have the parent station’s licence amended, obtain the vetted vehicle list, and keep the records the condition requires — filling, dispensing, pressure readings, leak and ESD checks, hose testing, maintenance and incidents — ready for inspection.