Piped gas is no longer a dream for Rajasthan. A total of 20 districts of the state were granted authorization for the development of city gas distribution (CGD) system to various entities. According to officials the union ministry of petroleum and natural gas had auctioned off in two rounds (13 districts in 9th CGD round and 7 districts in the 10th round) and was able to find distributors for 20 districts in the state.
The districts that found distributors are Barmer, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur districts (a consortium of AG&P, LNG Marketing Pvt Ltd & Atlantic Gulf & Pacific); Alwar (other than Bhiwadi), Jaipur, Kota (except area already authorized), Baran and Chittorgarh (only Rawatbhata block) by Torrent Gas Pvt Ltd; Bhilwara, Bundi and Chittorgarh (other than Rawatbhata) and Udaipur districts by Adani Gas Limited; Dholpur district by Essel Gas Company Limited; Banswara-Dungarpur, Jalore and Sirohi districts by Gujarat Gas Limited, Ajmer, Pali and Rajsamand Districts by IGL.
Till Oct 2018, Kota was the only city in the state authorized for retail gas activities (CNG & PNG) which were developed as a model city by introducing various innovative measures by Rajasthan government’s agency, Rajasthan State Gas Limited (RSGL).
In spite of Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB)’s authorization of various districts, the activities of CGD industry haven’t picked-up because of the complex nature of the industry requiring supporting role by the state government in various activities like permissions, land allocation in stipulated time frame and to synchronize with the state’s master plan.
But the new state government has taken the initiative in implementing the request of PNGRB and the CGD industry in creating the enabling policies in ensuring the timely allotment of land, granting of permissions, at the shortest possible time of 15 to 30 days.
Sudarsan Sethi, additional chief secretary, mines & petroleum, claimed, “Rajasthan is all set to become a front runner in adopting the reform measures and incorporating rapid development, ensuring quality life and to create 20,000 to 30,000 new jobs by 2022 in CGD sector alone.” He said Rajasthan has identified “clean energy” as the key agenda for the industrial development and meeting the socio-economic aspirations of the people of the state.
