City Gas Distribution: Guwahati to get piped gas supply by next year
Rupam Goswami,Chairman of Duliajan Numaligarh pipeline Limited (DNPL), said that the work to bring the gas line from Numaligarh in Upper Assam to Nagaon, is on. “The gas line is expected to start supply by next year in Guwahati,” he said.
GUWAHATI: Guwahati, Northeast India’s financial capital, is slated to get piped gas supply by next year.
Rupam Goswami,Chairman of Duliajan Numaligarh pipeline Limited (DNPL), said that the work to bring the gas line from Numaligarh in Upper Assam to Nagaon, is on. “The gas line is expected to start supply by next year in Guwahati,” he said.
A consortium of three Public sector units, Assam Gas Company Ltd (AGCL), Oil India Limited (OIL) and GAIL Gas Ltd, has incorporated a new company for implementation of the City Gas Distribution (CGD) Networks.
Gokul Ch Swargiyari, director and CEO of DNPL and chairman of Purba Bharati Gas Private Limited, said that there is abundance of gas in the state. “ We will provide piped gas in Kamrup Metro and Kamrup. We are expecting that in next nine months we will able to provide piped gas in Guwahati. Already in Silchar we have provided 300 gas connections and by end of this year the number will be 1000.”
“Target is in Barak valley we will provide one lakh connections and in two districts of Kamrup around three lakh. Around 72 CNG stations will be set up in these districts,” he added.
AGCL is also willing to provide piped gas in seven other districts, and has participated in the expression of interest. Swargiyari said, “Due to COVID 19 pandemic our works were affected however we are trying to make up. Assam government has assured that Assam State Transport Corporation buses will be converted to CNG. In some tea estates of Upper Assam piped gas is provided and we are getting good response for this is cost effective.Piped gas will hugely benefit tea industry.”
“Rs 6,000 crore is provided by government for the Northeast India gas grid,” Goswami added.
The National Gas Grid Pipeline (Urja Ganga Project) which was originally planned for extension from Jagadishpur in Western Uttar Pradesh, to Haldia in West Bengal, was consented to be extended to Guwahati in Assam, by the Government of India through an intermediate spur line from Barauni in Bihar to Guwahati and the Gas Pipeline construction work is being carried out by GAIL India Limited.
Swargiyari added that the Barauni to Guwahati section of the Nation Gas Grid is likely to be completed by next year. Thereafter, eight states of the North East will be connected by Indradhanush Gas Grid Ltd. to the National Gas Grid.
According to state government the connection of Assam to the National Gas Grid, steady supply of Natural Gas shall initiate a spurt in the industrial sector, power generation sector, automotive CNG sector and domestic piped gas to households sector and it will act as a catalyst to trigger immense development and employment opportunities throughout Assam and other parts of Northeast Region.
Goswami stated that there has been steady growth in profit of DNPL from 13.48 Crore of 2016-17 it has grown to 35.42 Crore in 2019-20.