Brijendra Pratap Singh, director in charge of SAIL’s Iisco Steel Plant and Durgapur Steel Plant inaugurated the first pipeline home cooking gas connection in West Burdwan district at Sail Cooperative Society complex in Durgapur on Thursday.

Indian Oil Corporation and Adani Gas Limited joint venture City Gas Distribution Project had set up the Source Point of Piped Natural Gas (PNG) in Panagarh near Durgapur. In 2018, the joint venture bagged the City Gas Pipeline Projects of both West Burdwan and east Burdwan district floated by the Union ministry of petroleum and natural gas. GAIL is setting up gas pipeline from Jagdishpur to Haldia. In Gopalpur in Kanksha about 1,500 houses have received PNG. Subhajit Chakraborty, Project Head ( Burdwan Geographical area) said that the consumers have to deposit Rs.7118, out of which Rs.7000 is refundable.

Every consumer will be provided with a meter and the billing period will be bi monthly. “The consumer can see how much gas he/she has consumed. There’s no need to keep gas cylinders, no need for booking and no need for gas agency staff to physically carry up gas cylinders in multi storeyed buildings,” added Subhajit Chakraborty. PNG gas is also 15 per cent cheaper than LPG. PNG also easily mixes with the air unlike LPG which makes it more safe for daily domestic usage, he said.

In Durgapur alone the target is to provide 20,000 PNG connections by 2025. The Union ministry of natural gas and petroleum has set an ambitious target of providing connections in 2.5 lakh houses in East and West Burdwan districts by 2023. The PNG will be provided in every households in all 31 blocks of East and West Burdwan district, he added. Durgapur Steel Plant has also inked a deal for pipelined natural gas supply in the township of SAIL in Durgapur with Indian Oil and Adani Gas.

Brijendra Pratap Singh said that though that the project was a bit delayed, he hoped that it will take speed and be completed within its stipulated time. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stone of the Rs.1200 crores City Gas Distribution Project of IOCAGL in East and West Burdwan districts in November 2018. The average natural gas consumption in India is about 6.2 per cent whereas globally it is 23.4 per cent. However, Gujarat has recorded an usage of 25 per cent.