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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.

Omar Abdullah expresses regret over Pahalgam attack, says he failed as host


Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday, April 28, expressed deep regret over the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, admitting he had failed in his responsibility to ensure the safety of visiting tourists.


Speaking at a special session of the Assembly convened to condemn the attack, Abdullah said the tragedy had left the entire nation deeply shaken.

"This incident has impacted the entire country. We have witnessed such attacks in the past, but one of this magnitude has occurred after 21 years in Baisaran," Abdullah said. "I do not know how to apologise to the families of the victims. As their host, it was my duty to ensure they returned home safely — and I failed. I lack the words to seek forgiveness," he added.


Addressing the political context, Abdullah said, "I will not use this tragedy to demand statehood. After what happened in Pahalgam, how can I face the Centre and ask for statehood for Jammu and Kashmir? Is my politics so cheap? We have raised the demand for statehood in the past and will continue to do so, but it would be shameful to raise it now when 26 people have lost their lives."


Pahalgam Terror Attack

The terror strike occurred on April 22 in the Baisaran valley near Pahalgam, killing 26 people, most of them tourists. The Resistance Front (TRF), believed to be an offshoot of Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, initially claimed responsibility but later retracted the statement.


In response, the Indian government announced a series of strong diplomatic actions against Pakistan, escalating tensions further. These included suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, revoking visas for Pakistani nationals, and shutting down the Attari land transit post. On the recommendation of the Ministry of Home Affairs, India also blocked several Pakistani YouTube channels accused of spreading provocative and misleading narratives following the attack.


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