The Punjab Government has cleared a comprehensive policy to provide gas through pipeline for every kind of usage to the urban population of the state. This was disclosed here today in a statement by the Local Government Minister, Punjab, Mr. Navjot Singh Sidhu.The minister divulged that the department is framing progressive policies to provide every amenity to the urban sector as part of the commitment of the Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh led government. He further elaborated that the Petroleum & Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) accords permission for supplying gas through pipeline and also that the powers to supply the same to the urban consumers rest with the concerned Municipal Corporation/Municipal Council/Nagar Panchayat. After the PNGRB gives permission the concerned companies would pay rent on per year basis to the urban local bodies under newly framed policy thus resulting in the economic self dependence of the urban bodies. The minister further disclosed that in the earlier proposed policy, the companies would have paid entire lifetime rent in one go which would have proved a colossal amount. The Hon’ble Punjab and Haryana High Court and PNGRB suggested fixing reasonable rates and it is in this context that the department has now decided to extract rent on per year basis instead of onetime payment.
The minister also added that every consumer of urban population whether belonging to the domestic, transportation, business and industrial category would get the gas. He emphatically said that this would put a stop to the pilferage of gas. Mr. Sidhu further said that in the 1st phase Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Bathinda, Mohali, Fatehgarh Sahib and Rupnagar have seen the permission being granted by the PNGRB to the companies for supplying gas through pipeline and the work has started in these areas. In the 2nd phase, the PNGRB has selected Patiala, Moga, Sangrur, Barnala, Kapurthala and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar to give sanction to the companies to begin the initiative in these areas where it would take off soon. He also said that the department would cover all 167 cities/towns of the State.