Mumbai's bustling streets ground to a virtual halt on Tuesday as a severe CNG supply crisis forced thousands of autorickshaws, taxis, and aggregator vehicles off the roads, leaving commuters stranded and scrambling for alternatives amid skyrocketing fares. The outage, triggered by third-party damage to GAIL's main gas pipeline inside the Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers (RCF) compound at Trombay, has disrupted supply to Mahanagar Gas Limited's (MGL) critical City Gate Station at Wadala since Sunday, marking the second straight day of widespread shortages.

Out of MGL's 389 CNG stations across Mumbai, Thane, and Navi Mumbai, only 225 remained operational Tuesday morning, with long serpentine queues snaking over a kilometer at sites like the Magathane station along the Western Express Highway. Desperate drivers, many who refueled sporadically on Sunday, exhausted their reserves overnight, leading to a near-total blackout of yellow-black taxis and meter autos—essential lifelines for the city's millions of daily commuters.

Public fury boiled over as opportunistic drivers and black-market operators hiked fares to extortionate levels; one office-goer from Lokhandwala was quoted 900 rupees for a routine ride to Mumbai Airport's Terminal 2, triple the normal rate. "Autos and taxis have vanished from the roads, making it difficult for people to commute," lamented a stranded commuter heading to work. "This has not only affected daily routines but also caused significant inconvenience to those heading to offices and other essential destinations." Even aggregator apps like Ola and Uber reported slashed availability, exacerbating the gridlock during peak hours.

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MGL prioritized uninterrupted piped natural gas (PNG) for households, but the pipeline stoppage crippled the broader network, forcing tough rationing at pumps. Mumbai Taximen's Association leader DA Salian highlighted the delays, with unions urging drivers to conserve fuel amid fears of prolonged disruption. Public transport buses on CNG routes also limped along with reduced services, piling pressure on already overcrowded local trains.

Relief appears on the horizon as restoration teams worked feverishly through the night, with MGL announcing that gas flow to the Wadala station—and thus full CNG operations—should resume by noon on November 18. "Rectification work is underway," the company stated, urging patience while condemning the sabotage-like damage. As the city holds its breath, Tuesday's ordeal underscores Mumbai's fragile dependence on a single supply chain, with commuters vowing to demand better safeguards against such recurring fuel fiascos.

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