Gujarat ready to lower CNG prices if Centre allocates gas as per APM

Even though the Congress-led UPA Government has increased the CNG prices 19 times in as many months by about 47 per cent, Gujarat Government expressed its readiness to lower its prices by 30 per cent if the Centre allocates CNG to Gujarat as per the Administered Price Mechanism (APM) and KG basin formula.

The government spokespersons-ministers Jay Narayan Vyas and Saurabh Patel here today squarely blamed the Centre for the hike in CNG by the Central PSUs like IOC, BPL and HPCL from Rs.9.34 per scm in October 2009 to Rs.13.69 per scm in April 2011. It amounts to a rise ranging from Rs.1.15 per to Rs.1.79 per kg each time.

The spokespersons said it is entirely the UPA misdoing and the Congress is to be squarely blamed for the unfair treatment meted out to Gujarat. While the Centre allocates CNG at administered prices as per KG basin formula to the Congress-led states like Maharashtra and Delhi and to Metros like Mumbai, the former singles out and forces only Gujarat to buy imported gas from the Central firm Petronet at higher prices.

The ministers said that the price hike is triggered by the Centre and yet the Congress paper-tigers continue to spread anti-Gujarat canard to mislead the public. They suggested the Congress leaders from Gujarat should better rise above the party politics and plead the State’s case at the Centre for the welfare of the people.