With Centre,state at loggerheads,gas projects hit roadblock

The Green Gas Ltd,a joint venture of GAIL and Indian Oil Corporation Ltd,could not complete the Centre backed project as the state government did not allow the company to lay the pipeline across the Lohia Path — 1.6 km stretch.

They had already laid a 24-km pipeline,built a mother station at Amausi,another station at Gomti Nagar and three daughter stations at a cost of Rs 80 crore over the last three years.

On the other hand,Adani Energy Limited,a private company,which was granted permission by the Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Corporation,has laid a 47-kilometre pipeline network across the city at a cost of Rs 35 crore.

But the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has not yet allotted the gas.

According to a senior officer in Adani Energy Ltd,the company took the permission from the state government in 2004-2005 before the formation of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Board,which came into existence in 2006.

“We do not come under the guidelines set by the board which are being used to deny us the gas. We legally won the tender placed by UPSIDC and started work. We have to depend on GAIL for gas supply,which is difficult to get because their own player is in the market,” the official added. The Green Gas Ltd also claims that they are the “only legal player” and the state government was creating unnecessary problems.

“We have submitted around Rs 45 lakh as restoration charges for Lohia Path with a promise that after laying our line we will restore the path,” said a Green Gas official.

“But the state government wants us to lay the pipeline on the slopes of the embankment near Lohia Path. If we start digging for the pipeline here,the road and bridge alongside Lohia Path will collapse,” said a Green Gas official.

According to sources,Green Gas had submitted two alternative plans, but the state government has not given the green signal for either. As a result, the company is not being able to start its Gomtinagar station,nor can they provide piped gas to residential areas.

“Only Green Gas is authorised to provide gas to Lucknow and the state government should realise this for the benefit of the people,” said SD Dhiman,Managing Director,Green Gas Limited.

According to Dhiman,Green Gas is paying around Rs 11 lakh as interest every month on the bank loan that they had taken for the project. It was initiated after the Supreme Court had named Lucknow as one of the most polluted cities.

T Ram,Engineer-in-Chief of the Public Works Department,said: “I am not aware of this issue and would have to first discuss it with my zonal engineer.”

Interestingly,the department had denied NOC to Green Gas.