CNG price will be reduced by Rs 15/kg, says Veerappa Moily

New Delhi, Feb 3: CNG prices will be cut by about Rs 15 per kg and cooking gas piped to kitchens by about Rs 5 after government decided to supply cheaper domestic gas to fuel retailers in cities like Delhi and Ahmedabad.

Oil Minister M Veerappa Moily said the government has decided to raise allocation of natural gas from domestic fields to city gas entities to 100 per cent from current limit of 80 per cent.

This would be done by cutting supplies to non-core sectors like petrochemicals, steel and refineries.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government has been looking at legal options to effect a rollback in CNG prices, one of the first promises made by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

CNG (compressed natural gas) price was hiked by a steep Rs 4.50 per kg from midnight of December 26 in Delhi. This was the second increase in rates in just three months. Also, the price of cooking gas piped to kitchens was also increased by Rs 5.15 per kg.

The latest government decision would help in reduction of prices of CNG retailed to automobiles in cities like Delhi and Ahmedabad.

It will also bring down prices of piped cooking gas to households as cheaper domestic gas will replace costlier imported LNG that entities were using now.

"Our target is common man... we want to give common man a relief and in a way this is an anti-inflationary measure," the Minister said.

Presently Mumbai sources all of its gas requirement from domestic fields and as such there will be no cut in rates in the city. However, in Delhi, which presently uses as much as 28 per cent of costlier imported LNG, and cities in Gujarat like Ahmedabad which too were heavily reliant on imported fuel, will see a price cut.

"This (move) would lead to reduction in price of CNG and PNG across the country (except in those cities which are already getting 100 per cent domestic gas like Mumbai). The price of CNG in Delhi would be reduced by about Rs 15 per kg (about 30 per cent). There will also be a reduction of about Rs 5 per cubic metres (about 20 per cent) in the price of PNG," Moily said.

While the orders for increasing domestic gas supply to CNG entities were issued today, the decision would take 2-3 days to take a effect as gas firms tie-up and sign new supply agreements.

Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL), the distributor of CNG in Delhi, had said strengthening of the dollar and increasing dependence on imported regasified-liquid natural gas (RLNG) that costs four times as much as domestic gas necessitated the price hikes.

Hikes in CNG prices, it had said, was also made necessary by a 5 per cent reduction in the allocation of cheaper domestic gas to Delhi and the NCR following a Gujarat High Court order.

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‘Have letter, next step is...’: MUDA on Siddaramaiah’s wife’s offer to return plots

News Network

October 1,2024

Mysuru: The Mysuru land authority at the centre of a financial and political storm - involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and alleged losses of ₹ 45 crore to the state - has received an offer of restitution from his wife, the urban development body's Commissioner, AN Raghunandan said.

"I am in possession of a letter written by Siddaramaiah's wife regarding her intention to return 14 plots (of land). The Chief Minister's son, Yatindra Siddaramaiah, came to our office and delivered the letter. We will take legal advice for the next step..." he told reporters in Mysuru.

Mr Raghunandan also confirmed anti-corruption officials from the city's Lokayukta branch had written seeking cooperation in its inquiry into the charges against the Chief Minister.

He said the Mysuru Urban Development Authority, or MUDA, "will cooperate with the investigation".

The Enforcement Directorate, however, have not reached out as yet, Mr Raghunandan said. The ED, a federal agency, has filed a money laundering case against Siddaramaiah.

There have also been calls for the CBI, another federal agency, to investigate charges against the Chief Minister, but that appears unlikely now given the Karnataka government has withdrawn general consent for its operations in the state. Law Minister HK Patil made the announcement last week.

He ruled out any link with demands for the Chief Minister to be investigated by the CBI, which reports to the BJP-led central government and the ruling Congress and other opposition parties have claimed is being used by that party to target rival leaders, particularly before elections.

On Monday - three days after the Lokayukta filed a case against the Chief Minister, and hours after the ED launched its probe- Siddaramaiah's wife said she had planned to give up the land earlier but was advised against it the allegations against her husband are "politically motivated".

But now, she said, she had made up her mind as "no house, plot, or wealth is more important than my husband's honor, dignity, and peace of mind". She also said the decision was hers alone; "... I am not aware of my husband's opinion on this matter, nor do I concern myself with what my son thinks".

And, in a comment seen as a calculated swipe at the opposition BJP, which is leading calls for the Chief Minister's resignation, his wife also made an emotional appeal to "all political parties and the media" to "please not drag women of political families into the controversy to settle political scores".

Investigative action against the Chief Minister follows the Karnataka High Court quashing a challenge to Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot's order sanctioning Siddaramaiah's prosecution.

Subsequently a trial court ordered framing of charges and directed the Lokayukta to complete the investigation within three months. The ED case was filed based on the Lokayukta FIR.

Siddaramaiah faces an inquiry into claims Parvathi was allotted 14 plots of land in an upmarket Mysuru area as compensation for land elsewhere - holding a far lower value - taken for infrastructure projects.

The Chief Minister has denied all charges and refused calls to resign.

He has been backed by the Congress and his deputy, DK Shivakumar, who is also the state unit boss, and also by members of his cabinet, including IT Minister Priyank Kharge. However, some within the Congress also want him to quit, such as former Assembly Speaker KB Koliwad.

"I will fight. I am not afraid of anything. We are ready to face the investigation. I will fight this legally," he said last week after the High Court had quashed his challenge to the Governor's sanction.

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