HC pulls up Punjab for delaying nod to CNG pipelines

The Punjab and Haryana high court on July 13 came down heavily on the Punjab government for

delay in sanctions for laying pipelines and opening compressed natural gas (CNG) stations in the

state.

The HC bench of justices SS Saron and Lisa Gill also hinted at handing over the matter to the state

vigilance bureau for a detailed probe.

The observation came after a private firm told the HC bench that the Amritsar municipal corporation

is demanding Rs 4 crore per km for allowing a CNG pipeline to the city on a 4-km stretch. The

pipeline is to be laid for public purpose, and in Delhi the firm paid a nominal price for similar work,

the court was told.

Appearing for the petitioner, senior advocate Sumeet Mahajan submitted that it was due to such

acts of the government and its agencies that over Rs 3,000 crore had been spent on CNG and piped

natural gas (PNG) supply in Punjab, but none of the cities had been provided with these so far.

The HC bench asked the state as to how it could ask for such an amount when the pipeline was being

laid for public purpose. “We want to know as to who are the people behind such a proposal. Is it

being done to extract money (from contractor),” the bench observed.

The court further stated that it would want the state vigilance bureau to look into the matter, as

despite a huge spending of public money, residents were yet to get the facility of CNG and PNG

supply in Punjab.

The high court, however, did not pass any order in this regard, and gave the government time to

resolve the issue by the next date of hearing on July 20. It came with a warning that any further

delay would not be allowed, as the project is already running behind schedule by several years.

As proposed, Ludhiana, Amritsar and Jalandhar are to get CNG stations, and the supply was to

initially start in 2011. CNG supply assumes importance in view of four Punjab cities — Ludhiana,

Khanna, Amritsar and Mandi Gobindgarh – featuring among the world’s 25 most-polluted cities, as

per a report released earlier this year.

NGS INDIA