GSPC apologises to RMC for illegal digging

A day after Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) served a showcause notice to Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC) Gas,the city gas distributor Wednesday accepted its mistake for allegedly digging up a road without prior permission saying it was the result of a misunderstanding on its part.

The RMC issued the notice Monday seeking an explanation from GSPC Gas along with a fine of Rs 8.2 lakh for restoration of the road. “The digging work was done in Geetanagar Ward 20 to extend LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) connection to Gayatri Mandir Trust. We had permission for similar work in another area named Geetanagar in Ward 19. Due to a misunderstanding,our contractor and engineer mistook Ward 20 for Ward 19,” said Urvish Pandya,city manager (technical) for GSPC Gas in Rajkot. The notice threatened to cancel all permissions to GSPC Gas if the latter did not respond within four days.

“We immediately stopped work after RMC brought the matter to our notice and carried out restoration work also. We have written a letter of apology to the municipal commission. We shall pay the fine in a day or two,” Pandya added. The issue was noticed June 10 after residents complained to the RMC.