top of page

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.

Madhya Pradesh's Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary welcomes African cheetahs as new home in India’s big cat comeback

  • PTI
  • Apr 19, 2025
  • 2 min read


BHOPAL: More than two and a half years after Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park (KNP) in Sheopur district became the first Indian home to African cheetahs, the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary (GSWS) in Mandsaur district is set to become their second home.


On April 20, two adult cheetahs from KNP—likely the South African male coalition named Prabhas and Pavak—will be relocated to GSWS.


The announcement was made during a meeting held in Bhopal on Friday to review the progress of the Cheetah Project in Madhya Pradesh. Union Forest Minister Bhupender Yadav and Chief Minister Mohan Yadav were among those present.


Since last summer, GSWS has been preparing for the arrival of cheetahs by developing suitable infrastructure. It now has three large enclosures covering a total area of 64 sq km. “The first arrivals, the South African male coalition from KNP, will be kept together in one large enclosure,” an official from the sanctuary told this newspaper.


According to the National Tiger Conservation Authority, over ₹112 crore has been spent so far on the Cheetah Project, with Madhya Pradesh receiving 67% of that funding.


The two male cheetahs will be moved around 300 km from KNP to GSWS on Sunday. More cheetahs will be added in phases, including some from South Africa, Botswana, and Kenya. Four cheetahs are expected from Botswana by May, followed by another batch. Talks with Kenya are also underway for translocation.


An official shared that since GSWS borders Rajasthan, both states will jointly set up an inter-state cheetah conservation complex.


During the meeting, the Chief Minister announced plans to improve tourism at KNP by enhancing road and air links from Gwalior. He said a paved, all-weather road will be built from Gwalior to KNP and a tent city will be set up for tourists in the forest.


Highlighting that MP's cheetah cubs have the world’s highest survival rate, the CM said the GSWS provides a suitable environment for the species.


The meeting also discussed setting up a modern veterinary hospital and rescue center at Kuno with central support. This facility will not only help the cheetahs but also serve cattle in the surrounding areas.


The state also aims to promote nature-based tourism by involving more youth and women. Women’s self-help groups and local volunteers known as ‘Cheetah Mitras’ will be trained as tourist guides.


Currently, Kuno National Park is home to 26 cheetahs, including adults and cubs—17 living in the wild and nine inside enclosures.


In September 2022, eight cheetahs from Namibia were brought to KNP under India’s ambitious plan to reintroduce the species, which had gone extinct from Indian forests over 70 years ago due to excessive hunting.

Comments

bottom of page