The public sector giant Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) would provide a sum of Rs 10 crore under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds for widening of Gaurikund- Kedarnath bridle path. A decision regarding this was taken in the meeting of Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Trivendra Singh Rawat with the Union Petroleum and Natural Gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan in New Delhi on Friday. The board of ONGC had earlier approved a sum of Rs 4.5 crore for the project and the CM of Uttarakhand had requested the Union minister to increase the budget. This request of CM was accepted by the union minister. Notably, the width of the Kedarnath pedestrian route is being increased from 2.5 metres to six metres.
The Chief Minister apprised the Union Minister that in the Women Polytechnic, Dehradun, being run by ONGC, at present only retired officers of ONGC are taken in the Polytechnic Board. He requested the Minister that government officials and academicians should also be inducted in the Board to which the Minister gave his consent.
On the expansion of the Petroleum Natural Gas (PNG) line and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) in Uttarakhand, the CM informed the Union Minister that the PNG line has been laid till Haridwar. He said that apart from this, there is plan to start CNG Gas Station in Dehradun, Haldwani and Rishikesh.
The Chief Minister also apprised the Union Minister that under the ‘Ujjwala’ Scheme, state government was providing free of cost gas connections to the families that do not have gas connection and their annual income is less than Rs 2.5 lakh. On this occasion, secretary, Finance, Amit Negi was also present.
The CM later said that Pradhan has assured that in the 10th phase of expansion, PNG and CNG would be laid in Nainital, Mussoorie and other areas of Uttarakhand. He added that the Gas Authority of India limited (GAIl) has agreed to undertake citizen welfare and infrastructure development works in Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines.