Oil companies and Maharashtra Natural Gas Limited (MNGL) are collaborating to make Pune India’s first carbon-free city by 2040, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan has said.

Here to launch the pilot of a slew of new initiatives for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and piped natural gas users, he said, both the Expressway as well as the old road (NH4) connecting Pune and Mumbai were being pitched as the country’s first green corridor.

The aim was to supply piped gas to lakhs of homes in Pune as well as distribute CNG to industry, Pradhan said, adding, that a 30/35-year roadmap had been prepared. Not only houses, but also transport and industry will use natural gas rather than furnace oil. “This (furnace oil) is cheap but the environment burden makes it very expensive. A gas-based industry is energy sustainable and prove cheaper in the long term,” he said.

Currently, piped natural gas is provided to around 21,000 homes in Pune and the plan is to take this to 50,000 by next year.

Earlier, Pradhan launched two new initiatives for LPG users that are being piloted in Pune and will eventually be rolled out across the country.

One, installation of kiosks for electronic booking of LPG cylinders (including re-fills) as well as for making on-line payments for them. Such kiosks will be located at public places like stations and malls. Two, enable cash-less delivery of re-fills by allowing customers to swipe cards.

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