Gandhinagar: The Gujarat government on Monday
alleged the Centre`s gas allocation policy for D6 KG basin gas
is faulty and is meant to promote big industries at the cost
of smaller units which are deprived of fuel at reasonable
prices.
In reply to a question asked by BJP MLA Devusinh Chauhan,
the state government stated in the Assembly that the empowered
group of ministers made allocation of 61.6 million standard
cubic metre (MSCM) gas on October 27, 2009 on regular basis
and 30 MSCM on irregular basis to various sectors.
"The Centre has allocated gas to the power sector,
fertiliser, steel industry, refinery and petrochemicals. But
our demand for allocation of gas for the small and medium
enterprises has still not been met," Minister of State for
Energy Saurabh Patel said in the house, while replying to the
question.
Patel held that the centre`s allocation policy is faulty
and depriving the small units from getting the fuel at
reasonable rate.
"We have laid the gas grid network in the state and
Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC) and Gujarat State
Petronet Ltd (GSPL) supply gas for domestic purpose,
industries and for vehicle use," he said, adding that if the
KG basin gas is made available to the state, it will reduce
the burden of importing gas from the international market.
Patel said that the Chief Minister and the state
government have made representation seeking gas from the
centre to the Prime Minister, petroleum ministry and other
agencies but so far the centre has not taken any decision
regarding allocation of the fuel to the SMEs in Gujarat.
PTI
