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Can India become a gas-based economy? Hope in the pipeline

The enthusiastic response to the ninth round of bidding for city gas distribution will take India only a small step closer to its goal of becoming a gas-based economy

Can India become a gas-based economy? Hope in the pipeline
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Shine Jacob New Delhi
In 1857, when Oriental Gas Company started piping coal gas to households and commercial establishments in erstwhile Calcutta, India’s Independence movement was still a pipe dream.
 
In the century and half since, while the freedom movement has come to fruition, city gas distribution still remains a pipe dream. To date, piped gas is available only to 19 per cent of its population, and geographically the distribution network covers just 11 per cent of the country’s expanse.
 
In this context, the ninth round of bidding for City Gas Distribution (CGD) kicked off by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory