13 Jun 2012 Hindustan Times (Chandigarh)HTC

CM APPROVES 1000-MW GAS-BASED POWER PLANT

CHANDIGARH: Chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on Tuesday gave in-principle approval to the gas-based 1,000-MW power plant which will be set up in collaboration with the Gas Authority of India (GAIL) at Ropar.

The decision was taken in a meeting with a team of senior officers of GAIL led by its chairman and MD BC Tripathi. The CM asked the Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd managing director to convene a separate meeting with the top brass of GAIL to discuss various issues relating to the plant. Three units of 330 MW each have been proposed under the project.
Badal asked the GAIL chairman to immediately set up enabling infrastructure in the state for the assured supply of CNG to the transport sector. He also agreed to the proposal of Tripathi to initially run city bus service in Ludhiana and Jalandhar on CNG, which could be later on replicated by the state government to run Punjab Roadways and Pepsu buses.

The CM asked the principal secretary (local government) to work out the modalities for starting inter-city bus service on pilot basis. He said this model could be applied in Amritsar, Bathinda, Patiala and Mohali later on.

Badal also asked the chief secretary to get the master gas plan prepared from the Punjab State Industrial Development Corporation and GAIL to ensure uninterrupted gas supply. He asked the pollution board to issue directives to industrial hubs along the gas pipeline to convert to gas to meet their fuel needs. The GAIL CMD told the CM that