Gandhinagar/Morbi, May 20 (IANS) The Gujarat government on Wednesday said that 40,000 new domestic PNG (D-PNG) gas connections and 13,000 reconnections were provided in the state within 2.5 months as authorities sought to maintain an uninterrupted supply during the ongoing global energy uncertainty.

The developments were reviewed during a state cabinet meeting held in Gandhinagar under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.

Government spokesperson and minister Jitu Vaghani said the meeting focused on the availability of commercial and PNG gas in Gujarat and the status of new connections.

Addressing reporters after the meeting, Vaghani said Gujarat Energy Ltd (GEL) had rapidly expanded domestic gas supply to ensure ordinary citizens continued to receive D-PNG gas for household use despite the global crisis.

“Since March 1, GEL has provided 40,000 new D-PNG gas connections and restored 13,000 connections. The company also issued 500 new commercial gas connections during the same period,” he said.

Speaking about the statewide position, Vaghani said all city gas distribution companies operating in Gujarat, including GEL, had together provided around 85,000 D-PNG connections and 1,100 commercial connections.

“The state government has given gas connections on a priority basis to institutions connected with the common public, such as hospitals, hostels, schools, colleges, and factory canteens,” the minister said.

He added that GEL alone had provided 110 such priority connections, while other companies in the state issued another 225.

Vaghani said the government had also reviewed the situation in Morbi’s ceramic industry, which had faced disruptions earlier this year following a rise in raw material prices and transportation costs.

According to the minister, several factory owners voluntarily suspended operations during the second fortnight of March, reducing the number of operational factories in Morbi to 83 by March 31.

Describing Morbi’s ceramic sector as “the pride of the entire country”, Vaghani noted that the state government took swift decisions to restore industrial activity despite continuing international instability.

“Despite the war-like situation in Middle Eastern countries, proper planning of gas distribution has been carried out by GEL under the guidance of the Chief Minister,” he said.

The minister said the efforts of the state government and GEL helped revive industrial operations in Morbi within a short period.

“After just 1.5 months, more than 670 factories in Morbi have once again become operational,” he said.

At present, around 865 industrial units in Morbi are connected to GEL’s gas pipeline network.

Vaghani said GEL had procured natural gas from markets outside the Middle East in accordance with instructions issued by the central government to ensure there was no disruption in gas supply during the global crisis.

He claimed that GEL also held meetings with the Morbi Ceramic Association and assured industrial units that gas prices for May would remain stable. “As a result, industrial units in Morbi have once again become operational and active,” the minister said.

–IANS

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