Corporation might convert its buses into CNG
TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: The Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited (KTCL) is in the process of signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) as its distributor for compressed natural gas in Goa. If everything goes well, KTC may soon shift to environmental-friendly CNG fuel instead of diesel.
The KTC already has 14 bus stands in Goa and another four are proposed this year. These bus stands would serve as CNG supply points for vehicles running on CNG. A draft MoU has already been forwarded to KTC by GAIL.
KTC Chairman Carlos Almeida told Herald that the Corporation was in process of signing a MOU with GAIL to act as the agency for supply of CNG in the State. Almeida would be flying to New Delhi, next week for a special meeting with GAIL.
He said that as petrol and diesel are cheaper in Goa, there might only be a marginal benefit in terms of cost at the moment, but the biggest advantage is that it is less polluting. “Currently, we would be acting as the distributor of CNG in Goa. If everything works out well, at later stage, we might convert KTC buses into CNG, thus reducing the diesel cost,” Almeida said.
GAIL has already moved a proposal to State government to set up a joint venture company in the state that will help to provide piped natural gas (PNG) in Goan homes and CNG in vehicles.
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, earlier in June, had expressed the government’s willingness to either have a joint venture with GAIL or to form its own state corporation as the distributor of PNG and CNG. He had announced to make PNG available to households within the next two years.
GAIL, a public sector enterprise has commissioned its 178-kilometre long underground gas pipeline from Gokak (Karnataka) to Goa in February this year at a cost of about Rs 800 crore. It already supplies gas to companies such as Zuari Industries, Reliance Infrastructure Limited and Umicore along the Sancoale-Vasco area.
