For the second day in a row, Delhi was left stranded by a shortage of CNG. The depots remained dry in many parts of the city on Friday, hitting city transport rather badly, after a regulator at one of the tap-off points tripped and disrupted gas supply.

The shortage has crippled autorickshaw services in the city, with most drivers refusing to take commuters on long distance ferries. Those who agreed charged much more than the usual metre fare. Long queues of autorickshaws and private vehicles could be seen at the CNG pump near Indraprashtha.

The frequency of Delhi transport corporation (DTC) buses , which are also powered by CNG, also remained low.

The problem started after 9 am on Thursday, said Rajesh, an auto-rickshaw driver who charged Rs 50 for dropping me to residential area in Panchsheel Park from IIT main gate. The metre reading for the distance is usually of Rs 30.

 “Just walk down to Hauz Khas metro rather than taking auto as in another two or three hours you won’t get any auto even if you are willing to spend much more,” Rajesh suggested as I alighted from his auto at Panchsheel Park. It was 12.30 in the afternoon and Rajesh was expecting grave crises of CNG supply. And he was not wrong.