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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Gas crunch reaches Mumbai’s high-rise

Mahanagar Gas cuts PNG supply by 50 pc; biz hit Mumbai : Delivering another shock, the Mahanagar Gas Ltd. on Saturday mandated all commercial users to draw only 50 pc of their piped natural gas (PNG) supply with a warning of steep fines and abrupt cut in connection for violators, sending shockwaves in the industry.   This comes barely 48 hours after its first missive (March 12) imposing a 20 per cent  cut in PNG offtake by commercial users, which hit the bakery industry hard, amid...

Gas crunch reaches Mumbai’s high-rise

Mahanagar Gas cuts PNG supply by 50 pc; biz hit Mumbai : Delivering another shock, the Mahanagar Gas Ltd. on Saturday mandated all commercial users to draw only 50 pc of their piped natural gas (PNG) supply with a warning of steep fines and abrupt cut in connection for violators, sending shockwaves in the industry.   This comes barely 48 hours after its first missive (March 12) imposing a 20 per cent  cut in PNG offtake by commercial users, which hit the bakery industry hard, amid  speculation that lakhs of domestic PNG users may be affected next.   The MGL’s directives follow a central order (March 9), calling upon all commercial users to restrict their PNG consumption to only 50 pc of their average usage over the past six months.   The revised rules within 48 hours sent fresh shockwaves among the already panicked commercial PNG users, triggering apprehensions that even domestic consumers may feel the heat with likely ‘rationing’ of their convenient piped fuel connections.   “The gas curtailment is around 50 pc for industrial customers and 20 pc for commercial customers to maintain continuous gas supply to our CNG stations and domestic PNG customers,” a company spokesperson told  The Perfect Voice , justifying its ‘force majeure’ intimations.   Price Revision In its first order, the MGL had indicated a revision in PNG prices due to “gas pooling” arrangements, with the final rates to be announced after consultations with suppliers and the government.   Today, it willy-nilly unveiled the potential harsh hike in the rates of PNG: “We have been informed that any gas drawal by MGL exceeding permissible levels will attract a gas price of Rs 138/Standard Cubic Metre plus VAT.”   Accordingly, all commercial users have been warned that from Friday (March 13), if they cross the threshold limits (50 pc), they will be charged Rs 138/SCM  (Rs. 4091.21/MMBTU), and further usage above the permissible limits would lead to abrupt disconnection of supplies.   Piped Gas Presently, the MGL has over 30-lakh households using PNG in Mumbai and Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), besides 5,200-plus commercial-industrial clients spread in multiple sectors, wholly dependent on piped gas connections.   Additionally, it runs 471-plus CNG stations and supplies it to more than 12-lakh vehicles including public and private transport, with plans to cover large urbanized pockets of Raigad district by 2029   Some of its bulk users include: Godrej Industries Ltd., Larsen & Toubro, Hindalco, several five-star hotels, IT companies, medicare like Asian Heart Institute or Lilavati Hospital, pharmaceutical industry, food and beverages, etc.   Home-makers howl An online achievement school ‘Multiversity of Success’ Founder Dr. Rekhaa Kale (Sion) said if the PNG cuts reach homes, it will disrupt the lives of millions of Mumbaikars. “Now, I regret giving up my LPG cylinders 10 years ago for the PM-Urja scheme, it could have been a life-saver today,” grumbled Dr. Kale.   A private nurse Kirron V. (Dahisar) rued that the real impact of gas shortage will be visible in Mumbai if domestic PNG supplies are also hit. “The so-called elite living in airconditioned high-rises sniggered and ‘looked down’ upon those sweating it out in snaky queues for a LPG cylinder,” she said sarcastically.   As the Gulf War entered the 15 th  day today, the FHRAWI-AHAR Vice-President Pradeep Shetty and other major organisations have repeatedly slammed the government for the acute short supply of LPG leading to chaos all over.

How cool are our hill stations?

Heat wave raises temperatures across all hill stations in the state.

Mumbai: The hill stations in Maharashtra are no longer “cool” enough, at least this summer season. Thanks to the heat wave sweeping across the state.


While the Lohegaon area of Pune recorded 42.7oC on Tuesday, meteorological data shows that at most of the hill stations too the mercury has already crossed 30 and at some places it is scarily nearing 40. The short-term weather prediction also shows that the condition is unlikely to be any better soon. In fact it may go worse, suggest the weather models.


According to the IMD data, maximum temperature at Mahabaleshwar crossed the mark of 33oC earlier this week and the mercury is unlikely to tame down very soon. Same is the case with Matheran. There the mercury touched 34oC. Pachgani too recorded 34oC while at Lonavala the mercury sored to 38oC. The mercury remained at around 35oC in Amboli of Sindhudurg district, but hill stations like Igatpuri (Nashik) and Toranmal (Nandurbar) recorded a whooping 39oC. Chikhaldara (Amravati) was probably the coolest place among hill stations of Maharashtra. But there too the maximum temperature was 32oC. 


The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued warnings about intense heat waves earlier this month. The warning followed unseasonal rains in several parts of Maharashtra, which had added to the discomfort from the heat. The IMD has warned that temperatures could increase by 3 to 4 degrees Celsius over the coming days. The IMD had also warned that the increasing temperatures may feel even more intense due to high humidity.


Heatwaves are common in Maharashtra from April to June, but experts believe that climate change and global warming have caused them to become more frequent and prolonged in recent years.


While the current heat wave in Maharashtra is likely to affect Konkan, Northern Maharashtra and Western Maharashtra more than the Marathwada and Vidarbha regions, conditions in other parts of the country are not very different. The mercury has crossed 43°C in several parts of Punjab, with areas in Rajasthan nearing a sweltering 45°C. The IMD has warned of a prolonged heatwave in Rajasthan and Gujarat over the next three days. A rise of 2-4°C in maximum temperatures is expected across northwest India until April 18, followed by a slight dip in the subsequent days. Similarly, central India may see a 2-3°C rise in the coming days.


In Maharashtra and Gujarat, a marginal drop in temperatures is anticipated post-24 to 48 hours. Rajasthan is likely to remain under heatwave conditions until April 19, while Kerala and Mahe brace for hot and humid weather. Nighttime temperatures are also expected to remain unusually warm across parts of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

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