GAIL chief to head Delhi's CNG supply company
Thursday, 16 January 2003, 20:30 IST
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NEW DELHI: Proshanto Banerjee, chairman and managing director of Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) has been given additional charge of Indraprastha Gas Ltd (IGL). IGL is the Indian capital's sole supplier of compressed natural gas (CNG). Banerjee will hold dual charge for two years, according to an official statement issued Wednesday. GAIL is one of the joint venture partners in IGL along with Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and Delhi government. IGL was set up in 1998 to provide environment friendly fuel in Delhi and its adjoining areas to help reduce pollution levels. GAIL and BPCL each hold 22.50 percent equity in IGL, while IL&FS Trust Company Limited holds 20 percent. The Delhi government holds five percent, Infrastructure Development Finance Company 20 percent and Unit Trust of India (UTI) 10 percent. India's premier state-owned gas infrastructure company, GAIL has a 92 percent market share in the transmission and marketing of gas. Its natural gas high-pressure trunk pipeline network of over 4,500 km, including the 2,700 km HBJ cross-country pipeline, supplies gas to several states including IGL in Delhi. IGL operates 103 CNG stations, including 13 exclusive stations at bus depots of the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC). By June, CNG stations in Delhi will increase to around 110 with a compression capacity of 1.61 million kg per day to meet the demands of world's largest fleet of clean fuel operated public transport vehicles. The CNG vehicle fleet in the capital has increased by 47,853 vehicles since March 2001. On an average, about 2,300 CNG vehicles per month are inducted on Delhi roads. Last month a 23-km long natural gas pipeline was commissioned in west Delhi from Dhaula Kuan to GT Karnal Road at a cost of about 250 million to ensure uninterrupted supplies to CNG stations.
Source: IANS
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