The Petroleum Ministry will invest over Rs.1,300 crore in Telangana State on the new projects as well as on expansion of the existing ones this year, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan stated here on Friday.
The investment would go into setting up two new LPG bottling plans in northern Telangana and doubling the capacity of two plants of IOC with over Rs. 300 crore, strengthening CNG/PNG supply facilities in Hyderabad so that all two/three/four-wheelers could use the most efficient fuel with Rs.100 crore investment, supply of piped gas for domestic needs and supply of natural gas to Ramagundam fertiliser plant.
Further, Rs.250 crore would be spent in Telangana as part of East-South trunk pipeline from Paradeep port being implemented by the HPCL with an investment of Rs.2,500 crore and another pipeline from Western Coast to Hyderabad as part of the “necklace fuel line network” and setting up a product terminal of IOC on the outskirts of Hyderabad, the Minister explained.
“Our Government has revised the priorities of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry for energising the domestic and transportation sectors from fertiliser and power plants in the past, though the next two sectors too will get supplies on that basis”, Mr. Pradhan stated addressing a press conference here.
He assured people of Telangana that the NDA Government was committed to provide clean fuel (cooking gas) to all households in the State in the next two years.
Asked about the possibility of gas tie-up to the two gas-based power projects pending implementation in Telangana at Nedunuru and Shankarpally, the Union Minister said anybody who would participate in the bidding process would have the possibility of getting allocation.
On the New Exploration and Licensing Policy-X, the Union Minister said that it would be finalised by the year-end with more transparent provisions including introduction of progressive sharing model, open-acreage policy and permission to explore unconventional hydrocarbons. The Minister said the deregulated policy on petrol and diesel had brought down the fuel subsidy bill to Rs. 50,000 crore this year from Rs. 77,000 crore last year.
The minister dodged political questions including those on Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and Union Ministers Sushma Swaraj and Smriti Irani stating that he was on high seas for the last two days (visiting the off-shore facilities) and could comment only after learning the developments during the period.
