The Department of Postal Service has decided to convert its fleet of mail delivery vans to run on compressed natural gas. The entire fleet will be phased out and it will be replaced by the new CNG vans.

The implementation has already begun from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, where four CNG vans have been included in the fleet. The department has taken the step as a part of its social responsibility.

The implementation of the decision will be done in a phased manner.

S Dashora, director of postal service, Ahmedabad region, said, "The decision to replace the present fleet of mail delivery vans with new CNG vans will be implemented in a phased manner across the state. In the first phase, Ahmedabad region's mail delivery fleet will be replaced by CNG vans. The old diesel vans will be replaced by new CNG vans. There are 65 mail delivery vans in The Ahmedabad region. We have included four CNG vans in our fleet and four more are set to be included by the end of this year."

The department has over 250 mail delivery vans in its fleet in Gujarat. Gujarat is divided into three regions -- Ahmedabad, Rajkot and Vadodara.

Dashora refused to reveal the expenditure on this project but said that the expenditure will be funded by the Indian Postal service department.

"We won't be scrapping the existing vans at one go. As they get old we will replace them with CNG vans so that the expenditure will also come in a phased manner," Dashora said.

The mail delivery van fleet falls under the Motor Mail Service of the Indian Postal Service and the department will be responsible for implementing the decision.

Dashora said that it is not possible for him to give any timeframe for the process to end as the existing vans will be replaced with CNG ones as they get old.

On the need for converting the fleet into CNG powered vehicles, Dashora said, "The decision was taken as part of the department's social responsibility and this step will also help in reducing pollution in the state."