Ganganagar: Cylinder hassle to end, city to get gas pipeline

Ganganagar: The Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) is set to bring relief to households, hotels, and resorts in the city by providing domestic natural gas through a pipeline. The company has signed separate agreements with the Municipal Council and the Urban Development Authority to lay 315 km of pipeline in the city.

The pipeline will be laid in two phases, with 163 km in the Municipal Council area and 152 km in the Urban Development Authority area. The company has already deposited Rs 15 crore with the Municipal Council and the Urban Development Authority as a refundable fee.

Before laying the pipeline, the company will set up three pressure control centres in the city. The Municipal Council has shown the company's representatives possible locations for the centres, including old settlements, Meera Chowk, and Padampur Marg. The Urban Development Authority has also identified several locations for the pressure points.

Once the locations are finalized, the company's engineers will start laying the pipeline. The company has deposited Rs 7.17 crore with the Municipal Council and Rs 1.43 crore as security deposit. The Urban Development Authority has received Rs 6.68 crore.

The company has been given permission to lay the pipeline, subject to certain conditions. The company will have to ensure that the pipeline is laid according to the approved plan, and safety measures such as barricades and barriers are in place. In case of any damage to the pipeline, the company will be responsible.

The company will also have to obtain NOCs from the electricity, water, and telephone departments before laying the pipeline. The Municipal Commissioner, Yashpal Ahuja, and the Urban Development Authority Secretary, Kailash Chand Sharma, have signed the agreement with the company's representative, Balkrishna Tripathi.

The company has also been given permission to lay the pipeline in the Urban Development Authority area, where it will have to deposit Rs 6.68 crore with the authority.

However, there are concerns that the pipeline laying work could lead to damage to the city's roads, similar to the sewer project. The sewer project, which was started in 2016, is still incomplete, and the city's roads are in a bad condition.

Despite this, the company is set to start work on the pipeline project, which is expected to bring relief to households and businesses in the city.

(By Surender Kumar Ojha, Ganganagar)