BHUBANESWAR: After Delhi, Mumbai and Pune, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-fuelled two-wheelers will soon be seen on Bhubaneswar roads. Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan will launch the CNG-run scooters and inaugurate two CNG stations in the Capital City on Saturday.
GAIL Director (Projects) Ashutosh Karnatak said the CNG-fuelled scooters will not only protect the environment but also reduce the burden of petrol demand. “After the two CNG stations at Chandrasekharpur and Patia, we will have two more stations which are being constructed at Khandagiri and Tamando. In next couple of years, 25 CNG stations will be commissioned to cater to the needs of 1.5 lakh vehicles in the Twin City,” he told reporters here on Friday.
CNG is one of the most environment-friendly fuels as compared to conventional fuels because it has no impurities such as sulphur or lead and is safe because it is lighter than air and rises up in case of leakage. Moreover, it is unlikely to ignite because of high ignition temperature of approximately 585 degree Celsius. It is also economical compared to conventional fuels.
“With the use of CNG kits, carbon emissions can be reduced by 20 per cent and hydrocarbon emissions by 75 per cent compared to the use of petrol in the same two-wheeler,” the GAIL official said.
Since the cost per CNG kit is Rs 15,500, to make it convenient for people to convert their two-wheelers to CNG, GAIL has associated with Bank of Maharashtra to launch a unique financing scheme which enables the users to go for conversion by paying an EMI of Rs 500 every month.
The Minister will also lay the foundation stones for new Dhamra-Angul 36-inch main pipeline and Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Paradip 12-inch spur line on Sunday. Initially, natural gas will reach Bhubaneswar on road from Vijayawada in cascades (special containers). Later, it will be supplied through the 2,655 km long Jagdishpur-Haldia and Bokaro-Dhamra Pipe Line (JHBDPL).
“We are investing around Rs 4,000 crore on the pipeline project while the overall capital expenditure for Bhubaneswar and Cuttack City Gas Distribution (CGD) projects will be Rs 1,700 crore, of which Rs 400 crore will be spent in next three to five years,” Karnatak said. In Odisha, the natural gas pipeline will have a length of about 769 km covering 13 districts including Bhadrak, Jajpur, Dhenkanal, Angul, Sundergarh, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Debagarh, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Khordha, Puri and Kendrapara.