KGGL Bids for City Gas Distribution.

Though Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Veerappa Moily had hinted that the Ministry might consider the relaxation in procedures for the implementation of City Gas Distribution (CGD) project in Ernakulam district, it seems his generosity will be of no benefit to the district.

This is because the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) has already invited bids for the project across 14 cities, including Ernakulam.

It is learnt that Kerala GAIL Gas Ltd. (KGGL), the joint venture of GAIL Gas Ltd. and Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation, has already submitted the bid for the project. Companies in the private sector are expected to participate in the bidding process as well.

'The sale of bid documents will be on till February 4 and the bidding process will close on February 11. It is unlikely that the Ministry will relax the norms for one district. If anything had to be done, it should have been done earlier by the state government. It was expected that some announcement in this regard would be made in last year's state budget,' sources said.

THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS