Piped gas for Mumbaiites in 2 years, says Naik

MUMBAI, FEBRUARY 14: In the next two years over six lakh families in Mumbai will get cooking gas through pipes, announced Petroleum and Natural Gas minister Ram Naik, today.

He also justified the hike in gas prices saying that it was due to the cancellation of government subsidies that the ministry had to resort to increase in prices. Former prime minister, Inder Kumar Gujral’s government had decided that the subsides on cooking gas, kerosene and other five essential items will be removed periodically till 2002. Which is why it had become essential to give a thought to cooking gas. Since the first slab of subsidies were removed the prices of cooking gas had to be hiked, Naik explained.

According to Naik, the Mahanagar Gas Company, will be inaugurated in April this year which will also help buses and taxis in availability of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). Naik was addressing mediapersons at the Marathi Patrakar Sangh on the subject of `Maharashtra in Central Government’.

For regular gas supply throughpipes, the pipelines had to be laid beneath the ground which was a major obstacle in the project.