India can now fuel 50,000 more CNG vehicles than before. Here’s why

• These 56 CNG stations are spread over 11 states/UTs and will be operated by both public and private entities

• With the addition of these stations to India's CNG network, the daily filling capacity in the country has gone up by over 50,000 vehicles

New Delhi: Expanding the reach of environment-friendly CNG (Compressed Natural Gas), Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan dedicated 48 CNG stations and inaugurated eight other CNG stations in the country on Friday via video conference. These 56 stations are spread over 11 states/UTs — Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, New Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh, and belong to 11 different entities — both public and private.

Lauding the efforts of all the stakeholders in the expansion of the gas network in the country, Pradhan said that 72 percent population of the country will soon be covered through the CGD (City Gas Distribution) network, which at present covers over 53 percent of the geographical area. 

'Both public & private sector taking part in expanding CNG infrastructure'

The minister said that the move is in line with the vision to steer the country towards a gas-based economy. The number of PNG stations has gone up from 25 lakh to 60 lakh, 28,000 industrial gas connections have risen to 41,000, and the number of CNG vehicles has gone up from 22 lakh to 34 lakh. He said that it is a matter of satisfaction that besides the public sector, private companies are whole-heartedly taking part in the expansion of gas infrastructure in the country.

The minister said that the government is working on energy efficiency, affordability, security and accessibility. He added that soon, customers will have to go to only one place, where all types of fuels — petrol, diesel, CNG, LNG and LPG will be made available. He said that the government has already started mobile dispensers for diesel, and would like to expand the same for petrol and LNG. Pradhan said that people would be able to get home delivery of fuel in the future.

Govt will promote & support gas as fuel: Secretary

Petroleum Secretary Tarun Kapoor said that India is the 3rd largest energy consumer of the world, and is working earnestly to have 15 percent share of gas in its energy basket. He said that as the economic activity and consumption level goes up in the country, the energy consumption is bound to go up. He said that the government will promote and support gas as fuel, because it is environment-friendly, energy-efficient and economically-efficient.

Senior officers of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, gas companies, OMCs, and other stakeholders also took part in this virtual inauguration ceremony. The completion of work at these stations was affected due to the countrywide lockdown imposed to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. However, after easing of restrictions last month, the work gathered pace and was carried out ensuring all safety and social distancing norms. This ensured minimum delay in the commissioning of these stations as against the original schedule. With the addition of these stations to India's CNG network, the daily filling capacity in the country has gone up by over 50,000 vehicles.