VARANASI (UP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday dedicated to the nation the Varanasi City Gas Distribution (CGD) network which will supply environment friendly natural gas to the city's households, transport sector and industries.

The project, whose foundation stone was laid by PM Modi on October 24, 2016 as part of the Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga initiative, was dedicated in a function here in the presence of Governor Ram Naik, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other dignitaries.

The CGD network, which is being implemented by GAIL (India) Limited at a cost of Rs 755 crore, will cover 1,535 sq km and cater to a population of 36.76 lakhs.

Two Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) stations have started commercial operations while another 18 will be set up in the coming years. Overall, 20,000 vehicles are expected to use CNG in the city.

Beside, Piped Natural Gas (PNG) connection work for 8,000 houses has been completed and are expected to be connected by March 2019. About 1 lakh households are likely to be covered under the project, GAIL said in a press release.

Steel pipeline has already been laid for 28 km and medium density polyethylene (MDPE) pipe laying for 102 km has been completed. About 800 km of steel and MDPE pipelines will be laid in the city as part of the project, the release added.

The CGD network will also cover four industrial areas and can cater to 150 industries and 500 commercial enterprises. It is expected to give direct employment to 1,000 people and indirect employment to many more.

The Varanasi CGD project was developed simultaneously with the Jagdishpur Haldia and Bokaro Dhamra/ Barauni- Guwahati Pipeline Project (JHBDPL/BGPL), popularly known as the Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga.

The pipeline project of total length 3,291 km is being executed at the cost of about Rs 13,000 crore.

It will cater to the energy requirements of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and Assam covering 70 districts and 3,150 villages.

Besides Varanasi, CGD networks are also being developed by GAIL at Patna, Jamshedpur, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack enroute the pipeline, the release added.

