Gujarat to get 300 more CNG stations

The state will get another 300 CNG stations in the next two years. Norms to set up new CNG stations of the Gujarat Gas Company Ltd and Sabarmati Gas Ltd have also been liberalised.

The one-time deposit to avail a connection of Piped Natural Gas (PNG) for families having an annual income of Rs 2 lakh has also been relaxed. The decisions were taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani in Gandhinagar.

According to a statement released by the state government, another 300 CNG refilling stations will come up in the next two years against 542 stations that have come up in the state in the past 23 years. The Gujarat government owns the two companies. The state government has come up with a 'CNG Sahbhagi Yojana' under which, existing operators of CNG stations of GGCL and SGL will not be required to adhere to any additional compliances.

The number of users of PNG will also be increased from existing 13.5 lakh to about 18 lakh by 2022. For this, the one-time deposit for families having an annual income of up to Rs 2 lakh has been reduced to Rs 1,000 and those having an annual income above Rs 2 lakh will have to give a deposit of Rs 5,000.

The consumption of natural gas in the state has increased from 40 lakh standard cubic meter per day (SCMD) to 80 lakh SCMD in a year. The state government is promoting CNG and PNG as green fuels in order to reduce carbon emissions. Of the existing 542 CNG stations in the state, 330 are of GGCL and SGL. Gujarat has close to 31% of nearly 1,762 CNG stations across the country.