A 400-km green corridor from Ernakulam to Kasaragod will be created by setting up Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) stations to replace the polluting fossil fuels.
IndianOil-Adani Gas Pvt. Ltd (IOAGPL), which is implementing the City Gas Distribution (CGD) project, will set up 70 CNG stations in Ernakulam, Thrissur, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod districts by March 2021 and another 100 annually in the next five years to create the green corridor.
“These 70 stations will be the first step for the green corridor along the National Highway and will kick off a CNG revolution in the State,” Bhashit Dholakia, the senior vice president, Adani Gas Limited, and the Chief Operating Officer, IOAGPL, told The Hindu .
Ernakulam already has nine CNG stations and six more stations are expected by March 2021. Work for the construction of steel network in Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod has begun. Recently, three CNG stations were commissioned in Thrissur and another three more will start operations soon. The construction of two CNG stations in Malappuram, four in Kozhikode and two in Kannur have also commenced.
More than 8,000 vehicles are using CNG in Ernakulam and the numbers are steadily increasing, Mr. Dholakia said.
IOAGPL is to come up with a policy on the lines of oil majors in January 2021 to create a network of private dealers/franchisees for running CNG stations.
The station will be of 1,200 sq m and the dealer can recruit the staff. The equipment will be provided by IOAGPL. “These stations will function round-the-clock and we are planning to provide elite services,” Mr. Dholakia said.
