Govt to introduce PNG to replace LPG in households

The state government is all set to introduce “clean and green” Pipeline Natural Gas (PNG) for households as a substitute of Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) which is used for cooking. PNG can also be used for commercial purposes in hotels and transport sector.

On Tuesday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said in Nabanna that people face a lot of problems in getting LPG cylinders despite of being ready to pay money to get the same. It would be the own gas supply service of the state government. Greater Calcutta Gas Supply Corporation will be supplying the gas in the city and six other districts including Howrah, Hooghly, North 24-Parganas, South 24-Parganas and in some parts of Burdwan and Haldia.

The gas can be used in households and hotels. It will also be helpful for the transport sector as well. She said: “It will take around three years to complete the project and to start supplying gas to households through pipelines. The work to set up the infrastructure has been started and it will take around two years to complete the work of setting up the infrastructure.”

Greater Calcutta Gas Supply Corporation is setting up the infrastructure. The Chief Minister said that with the introduction of PNG the state will no more have to depend on anyone else to get LPG cylinders as per the requirement.

Amit Mitra, the state Finance Minister, said: “It would solve the problem of common people. It is safer than using LPG cylinders. We need to transport gas cylinders from one place to another as per our need which is quite risky.

But gas will reach to a household through pipelines once the new system is in place. There are many gas transportation companies. It would be natural gas if Gail supplies it to Greater Calcutta Gas Supply Corporation and it would be LNG is H-Energy supplies the same.”

He further said that companies like H-Energy, that has bagged national level bidding in high seas LNG gasification, would also be interested in further supply of gas to Bangladesh or in northern part of the country. It may be mentioned that the service is available in some others parts of the country including Delhi.