Kolkata: Following the change in government in West Bengal, Bengal Gas Co Ltd (BGCL) has secured necessary administrative approvals to lay pipelines in Chandannagar and along a one-kilometre stretch near Kolkata airport, clearances that had remained pending for several months. BGCL, a joint venture between GAIL and the state-owned Greater Calcutta Gas Supply Corporation, expects to commence supply of piped natural gas (PNG) in Chandannagar and adjoining areas within three months.
Pipeline Work Progressing
BGCL CEO Anupam Mukherjee stated, “We have started laying the main steel pipeline from Delhi Road to Chandannagar after obtaining necessary permissions from the administration. The approvals were pending since last October. We hope to start supplying PNG in Chandannagar in the next three months, and our target is to provide 10,000 household connections there this year.”
Airport Stretch Cleared
The political change has also resolved a major bottleneck in pipeline construction near the airport. BGCL had been awaiting permission since 2023 to lay a pipeline between Airport gate 2.5 and gate 1, a crucial link for extending PNG infrastructure to Kolkata. “We sought permissions from the administration to lay the pipeline along this one-kilometre stretch in 2023. However, it was pending since then. A few days ago, we received a demand note from the administration seeking the necessary permission fee. After submitting the money, we will obtain permission and start work immediately,” Mukherjee explained. He added that pipeline work from Barasat to Airport gate 2.5 is progressing rapidly.
Expansion Plans
BGCL will also lay the main gas pipeline from Barrackpore Wireless Crossing to Shyambazar along BT Road to supply PNG to households in north Kolkata and its adjoining northern fringes. The company launched PNG supply in Kalyani last November, marking the first such service in the KMDA area. BGCL has so far installed 862 gas meters in that township.
Infrastructure Development
The GAIL pipeline from Durgapur has been laid up to Gayeshpur in Nadia via Rajarambati near Mogra in Hooghly. BGCL is responsible for laying the main pipeline from Rajarambati to Dankuni to supply CNG and PNG to consumers in Hooghly and Howrah. The company has laid another pipeline from Gayeshpur to Kalyani and is extending it further to Baruipur via Barrackpore, Barasat, the airport, and Chingrighata to cater to Kolkata, North 24 Parganas, and South 24 Parganas.
BGCL started PNG supply at Uniworld and Rosedale housing complexes in New Town in December 2023 by transporting gas in cascade from Panagarh before flowing it into a pipeline infrastructure there to make it available in kitchens.
BGCL's Role in Greater Kolkata
BGCL is the sole licensee to supply CNG and PNG in 1,531 square kilometres of areas in Greater Kolkata, including the Kolkata Municipal Corporation area and parts of Howrah, Hooghly, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, and South 24 Parganas adjacent to the city. It is noteworthy that the Indian Oil-Adani joint venture began PNG supply in Panagarh four years ago, the first in Bengal. HPCL also commenced PNG supply in some parts of Nadia and Hooghly, as well as Falta in South Bengal and Jalpaiguri town in North Bengal, in April last year.
