Gujarat Gas to open 25 CNG stations in state

Gujarat Gas Company (GGCL), India's largest gas distribution firm, is on a major expansion drive.

GGCL has chalked out plans to expand its CNG (compressed natural gas) network in Surat, Ankleshwar and Bharuch.

Under the Rs 70 crore expansion plan, GGCL will add more than 25 new CNG stations in a phased manner over the next two to three years.

In phase I, in addition to the existing two CNG stations, five new CNG stations will be added. Of this, three will be at Surat and one each at Ankleshwar and Bharuch.

"These five stations would be commissioned by August this year," GGCL managing director B S Shantharaju said on Sunday in Surat.

The expected investment is about Rs two crore per station. The locations for all these stations have already been finalised and Surat municipal commissioner G R Aloria presented the appointment certificates to the franchisees on Sunday.

The physical work at the sites also commenced on Sunday with the groundbreaking ceremony attended by Surat collector Pankaj Joshi at the Piplod site on the Surat-Dumas Road.

"In two years, we plan to convert about 25,000 autorickshaws and 5,000 four wheelers into the CNG mode in Surat, Ankleshwar and Bharuch," Shantharaju said.

At present, GGCL supplies piped natural gas to over 1.5 lakh customers in the industrial, commercial and domestic sectors, selling more than 20 lakh cubic metres of natural gas per day.

At present, more than 1,800 vehicles in Surat run on CNG. Besides the GGCL station on the Udhna main road, the three new stations would come up at Piplod, Puna Kumbharia and Ved Road.

In addition to this, the existing headquarters of GGCL in Surat at Adajan would also be converted into an online station.

"We want more and more vehicles in Surat to use CNG as fuel. Surat, one of the cleanest cities of the country, also figures among the 11 most polluted cities. With more use of CNG, Surat would become the least polluted," Shantharaju said.

To create awareness among the people about the advantage of CNG, which is cheaper than the conventional fuels, GGCL also plans to hold a series of workshops.

The CNG kit for an autorickshaw has been priced at Rs 22,000 while for a four-wheeler, it is Rs 32,000. "Earlier, the CNG kits were expensive as they were imported but now the prices have come down," the GGCL managing director said, indicating that the prices may come down further.

"Anyone opting for CNG conversion can recover the price of the kit within ten months," Shantharaju said.

Giving the franchisee certificates, Aloria said CNG had brought about revolutionary changes in Delhi and Mumbai.

"CNG has emerged as the most popular fuel. People should be educated. With simple efforts, we should have a better environment in Surat," he said.

According to Aloria, Surat was the fastest growing city not only of India but also in the world.

GGCL has made an application to the Gujarat government for setting up piped natural gas operations in the highly industrialised district of Valsad.

"We have made the application and we are hopeful that the government would clear it soon so that we can proceed," Shantharaju said.

CNG Act soon

To popularise the use of CNG, the Gujarat government is planning to bring the Gujarat Motor Vehicles (Cleaner Fuels) Act.

"The draft of the act is being prepared," Pranav Mehta, advisor to the Gujarat government on CNG, said.

A series of workshops have also been planned to bring about awareness in the people about CNG. Mehta said the government might set up a gas regulator.