‘Gujarat has the only functioning gas market in India’
‘Gujarat has the only functioning gas market in India’
By our correspondent
Ahmedabad, DeshGujarat, 4 March, 2010
Government-controlled prices restrict the growth of the natural gas market which is detrimental. This was said by Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) chairman Mr. L Mansingh. He was speaking on Thursday at the second day of the International Conference on Management of Petroleum Sector – ICOMPS 2010 – being held at School of Petroleum Management (SPM), Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University (PDPU), Gandhinagar. On the likely investment in petroleum and natural gas infrastructure in the next five years, he said a conservative estimate would be around Rs. 76,000 crore to Rs. 84,000 crore. Of course, it could go up to Rs. 1.25 lakh crore.
“As the government fixes oil and gas prices and also allocates the same, open market trading of the fuel cannot take place. Similarly, factors like dominance of Central public sector undertakings (PSUs) in the oil and gas sector and subsidization in sale of the products lead to distortions in the product market. In addition, infrastructural facilities are owned by PSUs, which prevent their optimum use,” he said in the keynote session – ‘Regulatory Issues in Oil & Gas Sector’. The development of a competitive market for natural gas is beneficial to the country in many ways. It can lead to better price discovery, optimal use of energy resources, optimization of infrastructure and also attract major investment in exploration & production (E&P) and transportation & distribution (T&D) infrastructure as well, he added.
According to Mr. Mansingh, lower participation of bidders under the last round of the NELP, particularly foreign biggies, indicates that the process of determining prices should be left to market forces. Mr. Mansingh also revealed that the late Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr. YSR Reddy, was impressed by the significant progress made by Gujarat for the development of natural gas market and wanted his home state to become another Gujarat on this front.
“In India, only Gujarat has the functioning market for natural gas. I told him AP would have to develop infrastructure like Gujarat for T&D of gas,” said Mr. Mansingh. The total number of geographical areas (GAs) covered under the gas grid network in the country stands at 25 and is expected to rise to 86 in the next three years. Similarly, the number of vehicles using CNG as fuel is expected to rise to 33 lakh in the next five years from 7 lakh at present, he added.
The ‘ICOMPS 2010’ conference was inaugurated on Wednesday by Mr. Benno Wilhelm, Professor of Production Management, University of Lausitz, Senftenberg, Germany, Dr. Bhavesh Patel, Director, SPM, PDPU, and Professor Sudhir Yadav, SPM, PDPU, Gandhinagar.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony of the three-day biennial event, Dr. Bhavesh Patel said, “In today’s world, food security and energy security are given equal importance by any nation. Management of the petroleum sector is as important as discovering new oil and gas fields. Institutions like PDPU can provide a comprehensive solution to energy management.”
In his welcome address, Professor Sudhir Yadav said that the energy sector was becoming highly competitive with global concern on various fronts. ICOMPS 2010 would help stakeholders and students understand the sector properly. Professor Benno Wilhelm hailed India’s edge in innovations. Efficiency was the key element as far as the energy sector was concerned and
through innovations, India could contribute greatly to attain efficiency, he added.
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In Development index, consequent to Narendrabhai Modi’s tireless efforts, now Gujarat is ahead at least 10years ahead of other goondaraj Kangress states who are stuck in their negative chamchaagiri kaadav, trapped and crushed under the obligation business of their western masters and Italian middlemen.
From the budget analysis, Gujarat added 1.3 lakh jobs, the only state to be positive in economy and peace.
In infrastructure and resources and opportunities, I am proud of my Bhaarat nu Gujarat maatrubhumi.
Thanks to “Jaya Shree Raam!”
What Narendrabhai Modi promises, he delivers, because he relies on detailed home work, hard work, and a framework, Unlike the goondaraj Kangressis who only know one thing of great chamchaagiri fueling a mafia racket of obligation network of corruption.
See the characterless and directionless and effortless Rahul Gandhi who has to resort to cheap appearance shows and movie-style faking which can never be a replacement for a true leadership as revealed in Narendra Modi, another Mahatma in making.
Gujaratis are honest investors unlike the west who are only interested in the loot by hook or crook. Thanks to our culture of ‘Jaya Shree Krishna’, investors can never be fooled into hoodwinks of number games which is all what UPA has done. But the stark reality of inflation eating into our growth and savings cannot be hidden, stupid Kangressis.
NAMO roared that his VGGIS will add 25 lakh productive jobs in our economy and even in a slump year it was in 2009, his claims are revealing true. This increase in tax payer base will go a long way in improving our agricultural economy, organic farming productivity and eventually create an atmosphere to end all kinds of subsidies for making our village self-reliant.
The best way to protect our villages from the globalization monster is to pump in more productivity through a tax-paying industrialization, raise our infrastructural reach, tracking better education standards, knowledge revolution in villages, de-link Government from our economy, and above all, protect the freedom of Hindus.
Really really thanks to Narendrabhai Modi, even the Kangressis chamchaas have begun to talk in terms of development and mentioning of our shaastros in their speeches. What a great achievement NAMO!
Jaya Shree Raam!