Bengaluru, March 4 (IANS) The Congress government in Karnataka announced on Tuesday that piped gas connections will be provided in the state to over 60 lakh remaining households by 2030.
Large and Medium Industries Minister M.B. Patil made the statement on the floor of the Legislative Council in this regard.
“The delay in providing gas connections to households across the state was due to varying rates set by different local administrative bodies. Now that the issue has been resolved, piped gas connections will be provided to over 60 lakh remaining households by 2030,” said Minister Patil.
He was responding to a question raised by BJP MLC D.S. Arun in the Legislative Council.
According to the city gas supply policy followed in various states across the country, the price has been fixed at one rupee per meter for installing gas supply pipelines. The central government has also written to the state about successful initiatives in states like Uttar Pradesh, Patil stated.
At that time, the BJP government, led by former CM Basavaraj Bommai, was in power. Considering the public interest and environmental benefits, we accepted this policy. Accordingly, the state has set a target of connecting a total of 66.25 lakh households and establishing 1,022 CNG refuelling centres, the minister stated.
The project began in 2015, with the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) taking charge of the work in Bengaluru. By 2023, gas connections had been provided to 4.07 lakh households and 320 CNG stations were established. Observing the slow progress, a new policy was formulated, after which an additional 1.01 lakh households were connected, and 154 more CNG stations were opened. To accelerate implementation, coordination meetings with local urban bodies are now being conducted, he stated.
So far, a total of 5.10 lakh households have received gas connections, and 474 CNG stations are operational. The remaining targets will be achieved within the next five years. In this regard, approvals from local bodies and public works departments were granted in July 2024, Patil added.
As per the central government’s directive, the meter price has been fixed at one rupee, and the profits generated from this pricing must be passed on to consumers over time by gas supply companies. This requirement has been made mandatory through an undertaking from the relevant companies, and the provision has also been incorporated into the new policy, the minister clarified in response to a question.
–IANS
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