Centre to push CNG vehicles to cut pollution

New Delhi, Nov 24 (INN): Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Jitin Prasada on Wednesday stated that Compressed Natural Gas( CNG) driven two wheelers would soon see the light of day. Speaking at the inaugural session of at Conference and exhibition 'Natural Gas for Vehicles (NGV) India 2010', Mr Prasada added, 'this, along with CNG driven taxis and three wheelers would create a revolution on our roads to provide affordable, comfortable travel to the middle class, the office workers and factory employees.' The Minister assured that Government of India is committed to providing all the support to the utilization of CNG, a clean and green fuel.

'In fact, people of Mumbai and Delhi have been getting a significant proportion of CGD gas at APM prices. The Empowered Group of Ministers for allocating KG D6 gas too has reserved gas for CGD as one of the high priority areas,' Mr Prasada said.

Several other dignitaries were present on the occasion. Natural Gas for Vehicles (NGV) India 2010s exhibition and conference provide an important platform for exchanging views, sharing experiences and deepening the dialogue between CNG suppliers, automobile manufacturers, original Equipment Manufacturers and the world automotive industry.

Referring to the critical factors in spreading CNG use across the country, Mr Prasada informed that the Government has already sanctioned 6335 km of pipeline and the Petroleum & Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), is in the process of authorizing another 5000 km of pipelines to connect various parts of the country.

These investments are very important in bringing prosperity and industrial development to any particular region. The Minister emphasized that in a short span of time, natural gas has become an important factor in the sectors of power generation, fertilizers and now in vehicular transportation. 'This has not only provided a cheaper alternative fuel to the public but also significantly improves the air quality of the city,' he added.

Mr Prasada also said that the Government has drawn a list of 201 cities of the country, where Pipelines Natural Gas (PNG) and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) facilities would be rolled out in the coming years. PNGRB has already held 2 rounds of bids in the last few months, where proposals from interested parties were invited for 16 cities. The Minister stressed that the Public Sector companies, as well as the private ones, have to bid on an equal footing to win the bid for any particular city.

The Minister underlined that the role of local Governments in facilitating the CNG sector is very crucial. 'A significant factor for the success of CNG in Delhi is that Govt. provides land for CNG station and, at the same time, VAT and other local taxes have been kept at a very low level. You would appreciate that with the real estate prices in our cities, the availability of land for CNG stations can really make the difference between success and failure. Similarly, the tax structure needs to be kept favourable, if we have to encourage people to switch over from Petrol and Diesel to CNG. Last week, a welcome decision by Haryana government has helped to reduce the price of CNG by Rs 2 in Gurgaon. Such steps are important for this new industry,' Mr Prasada stated.