Gandhinagar, 2 December 2013

Energy Minister Saurabh Patel said that Gas Authority of India (GAIL) has not fairly followed the Supreme Court’s order to deliver APM CNG at the same rate as other states.

“The centre has compelled the people of Gujarat to buy expensive CNG in the situation of heavy price-rise. Centre should immediately follow the apex court’s order and provide gas to Gujarat at cheaper rates”, he demanded.

He said the Gujarat High Court in July 2012 directed the Centre’s UPA government to provide CNG at the rates of Delhi and Mumbai. But the Centre challenged the order in Supreme Court. “The apex court also took side of the legitimate demand of the people of Gujarat and ordered Centre to provide cheaper CNG to Gujarat from Nov 30, 2013”, Mr. Patel said.

He said that for Centre it is customary to treat Gujarat unjustly. “The apex court’s order was a victory of the voice of people of Gujarat against the central government. But the Centre’s approach suggests that it can not tolerate the people’s victory. The GAIL has continued the Centre’s custom of making injustice to Gujarat”, he added.

Though the Supreme Court clearly ordered Centre to provide cheaper CNG from 30/11/2013, GAIL issued gas sales contract on 29/11/2013. Moreover, Hazira-Suvali has been picked up as the delivery point. It is technically not feasible to receive gas from these both points as the gas supply pressure is as low as 35 to 45 bars at these points, said the Energy Minister.

The Central government and GAIL knew that if the gas is supplied from Hazira-Suvali point, people would get it at low pressure and it would eventually prove costlier to the people. For Gujarat, it is not feasible to provide gas from these points. In fact, Centre doesn’t seem to have intention of giving cheaper CNG to the people of Gujarat, he said.

Energy Minister said that since the GSPL’s high pressure gas grid is not connected with the CGD network of Hazira-Suvali it is mostly impossible to receive gas from there. In such case, if GAIL fixes Dahej in Bharuch as the delivery point, the gas delivery would be easier due to pipeline network connection between Petronet LNG terminal at Dahej and GSPL.

“If GAIL makes Dahej as the delivery point as it is demanded by Gujarat, the state government is determined to provide cheaper gas immediately”, said Mr. Patel.