Piped cooking gas supply in city likely from January
The much-awaited supply of piped cooking gas to households in the city is likely to begin from January next year as the ambitious Jagdishpur-Haldia gas pipeline project, being executed by the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL), has been delayed by a month due to hurdles in pipeline laying work in some districts. The project, being executed in the city with an expenditure of Rs 500 crore, is aimed at providing piped cooking gas to 50,000 households. Officials said of the 490km-long Allahabad (Prayagraj)-Barauni-Patna pipeline network, the pipeline laying work at a 250-metre stretch in Barachatti, Gaya and at 500-metre stretch at Poiwan village in Aurangabad has been hampered due to protests by villagers, who are demanding higher compensation for their land. K B Singh, executive director of GAIL (eastern region), said, “The pipeline laying work is currently stalled in Aurangabad and Gaya districts due to villagers’ protest. We will soon settle all issues and start the piped cooking gas supply in Patna from January next year.” The user charges for piped cooking gas will be Rs 30 per kg for households. The charges for commercial entities, such as hotels and restaurants, will be decided through an agreement depending upon the scale of gas consumption by commercial establishments. The consumers will have to pay Rs 5,000 as installation charge, including meter cost. The installation charges can be paid in monthly instalments. “The service will be launched with an initial base of 5,000 consumers in Patna and it will gradually cover all households in the city. Apart from Patna, households in Bihta, Barh, Paliganj, Mokama and Bakhtiyarpur sub-divisions will also be covered,” Singh added. He said piped cooking gas connections have already been provided to 2,000 households in Patna and the remaining households would be covered before the launch of the project. There will be flexible metering system for consumers of piped cooking gas. Apart from meter reading officials, the consumers can also upload the picture of their meters online and pay their bills through online mode. “Two compressed natural gas (CNG) stations will also be set up in Patna by January next year. The rates of CNG will be Rs 60 per kg for CNG-run vehicles,” the executive director of GAIL said.