Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated supply of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and CNG-run scooters here on Saturday under the Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga yojana.
The CNG stations, undertaken by the GAIl, were launched at Chandrasekharpur and Patia.
Inaugurating the CNG stations, Pradhan said his becoming a Petroleum Minister would be successful when an auto-rickshaw driver could save Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 per month by using CNG.
“By use of CNG instead of petrol and diesel in two wheelers one can save up to 30 to 40 per cent of his oil expenses per month. A college student can save Rs 1,500 per month,” he too said.
While many cities of India are suffering due to pollution, CNG would be a smart fuel for smart city like Bhubaneswar, he added.
Apart from the two stations launched today, two more stations are now underway at Khandagiri and Tamando. Over the coming years, 25 CNG stations would be commissioned in the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack to supply CNG to vehicles.
Pradhan said Rs 5,000 crore would be invested for pipeline project. From this, Rs 2,000 crore is estimated to be invested for development of human resources. In first phase Rs 1,700 crore would be invested for Compressed Gas Distribution (CGD) 100-100 km Pipeline in Cuttack-Bhubaneswar. It would create huge employment for the local youths and boost the State’s economy.
Among others, GAIl India Director (Projects) Dr Asutosh Karnataka, ED (Eastern Region) KB Singh, PNGRB members Satpal Garg and SK Rath and seniors officers of OMCs were present.
Initially, natural gas will reach Bhubaneswar in special containers called “cascades” which will be transported by road from Vijaywada in Andhra Pradesh. later, the natural gas will be supplied through the 2,655 km long Jagdishpur-Haldia and Bokaro-Dhamra Natural Gas Pipeline (JHBDPl).
Pradhan would also lay foundation stones for new Dhamra - Angul 36 inch main line and Bhubaneshwar-Cuttack-Paradip 12 inch spur line on December 17 (Sunday) which are part of this pipeline project.
The overall capital expenditure for the Bhubaneswar and Cuttack CGD projects will be Rs. 1,700 crores, of which Rs 400 crores will be spent in the next three to five years.
In Odisha, the Natural Gas Pipeline will be constructed at an estimated investment of Rs 4,000 crores and have a length of about 769 km covering 13 districts and will connect major industrial clusters in Khordha, Jharsuguda, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Angul, Dhenkanal, Kalinganagar, Jajpur and Paradip.
In a political development, local MP Prasann Patsani and local MlA Priyadarshi Mishra, though invited, didn’t attend the inaugural meeting.
“This indicates that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is against development,” alleged BJP State vice-president Sameer Mohanty.
However, BJD spokesperson Samir Dash said, “leaders attending a programme doesn’t matter. They (BJP leaders) should do their work without being boastful.”