CAQM asks agencies to develop gas infra in NCR

In the meeting, which was attended by 11 city gas distributers (CGDs) of the NCR and officials of the ministry of petroleum & natural gas (MoPNG), the distributors informed the committee that of the 240 industrial areas in the region, 179 had so far completed the switch to approved fuel

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in NCR and its Adjoining Areas assessed the preparedness of industrial areas in the national capital region (NCR) and checked how many completed their transition to piped natural gas (PNG) and other approved fuels in a meeting held Friday.

The commission has already directed NCR state governments to phase out coal from the region by January 1, 2023 (except in thermal power plants). (Representative image/HT Archive)

In the meeting, which was attended by 11 city gas distributers (CGDs) of the NCR and officials of the ministry of petroleum & natural gas (MoPNG), the distributors informed the committee that of the 240 industrial areas in the region, 179 had so far completed the switch to approved fuel.

The CGDs present at the meeting said that by September 2023, all industrial areas will be connected by gas infrastructure.

To be sure, the remaining industrial areas will have to switch by December 31, 2022, failing which officials concerned can act against violators.

“A total of 179 out of 240 (74.5%) industrial areas in the NCR now have gas connectivity,” said CAQM in a statement on Friday. According to officials, NCR currently has 963 CNG stations; around 2.2 million domestic PNG Connections; 5,185 commercial PNG connections and 5,361 industrial connections.

The CGDs in the region are Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL), Adani Total Gas Limited, GAIL Gas Limited, Indian Oil Adani Gas Private Limited, HPCL, BPCL, Baghpat Green Energy Pvt Limited, Torrent Gas Pvt Ltd, Haryana City Gas (KCE) Pvt Ltd, Haryana City Gas Distribution Limited and Haryana City Gas Distribution (Bhiwadi) Limited. Among these, the IGL network covers the most authorised geographical areas (GAs)—seven—followed by Adani Total Gas Ltd—four.

“Considering the compelling necessity to fight air pollution due to industrial activities and vehicles, CAQM has directed the expeditious commissioning of gas infrastructure in the entire NCR well before the next winter season,” the committee said on Friday.

The commission has already directed NCR state governments to phase out coal from the region by January 1, 2023 (except in thermal power plants).