Despite promises being made by the government on launching the city gas project in Kochi, the prospect of launching the project this year is remote. The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board, the authority entrusted with the task of selecting entities for executing the project, has yet to come out with its decision. The State government will not be able to commission the project without the permission of the board.
A sample of the city gas project, for distribution of piped natural gas, could be launched in Kochi within two months of receiving the permission from the authorities, a top official of GAIL, involved in the pipeline laying work in the State, said. Trunk pipelines have been laid up to the special economic processing zone at Kakkanad from where smaller lines could be connected to take the gas to residential areas or hotels, he said. The smaller pipelines are to be connected to the main line by the entity to be selected by PNGRB to distribute piped natural gas to the Ernakulam region. Bids for the project have been closed, but the board has not set any date for taking a decision.
The latest bids were intended for 14 geographical areas including Ernakulam. The other areas include Ranga Reddy, Medak, Nalgonda and Khammam, Bengaluru rural and urban districts in Karnataka and Raigarh.
