Access to natural gas will achieve 10 pc GDP

New Delhi, Oct 13: With a view to achieve a 10 per cent GDP rate, India needs access to natural gas and appropriate infrastructure for its easy availability.

''To be globally competitive, we have to have access to natural gas,'' Former Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas Sushil Tripathi told reporters at a conference on 'Building India's Natural Gas Market' organised by PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry here.

Mr Tripathi expressed his concerns on the present situation of gas supply, especially in north India. He said that north India must provide the same price for oil as western and other parts of India are paying, and learn best to utilise the energy.

Calling LNG and natural gas as chief fuel for employment generation, PHDCCI's Energy committee Chairman Ajay Poddar suggested the Government to grab natural gas as much as possible, even if the prices are slightly higher.

Mr Poddar stressed on the transparent system of regulation, saying that there was an urgent need to have a competent commission in place as in telecom.

He said the state governments must play more pro-active role and invest in gas infrastructure for the future.

Engineers India CMD Mukesh Rohatgi said Indian gas sector is moving away from a severely constrained phase into an area of multi-source multi-market phase with huge indigenous gas finds and LNG cargoes reaching Indian shores along with the investments in the growing power, industrial and retail gas segments.

Mr Rohatgi said time had come to implement optimally planned 'National Gas Grid' serving multiple procedures, importers of gas through pipeline or as LNG other shippers and end users of gas.

Leaders of the natural gas industry namely William Adamson, MD of British Gas in India, D J Pandian, MD of GSPC, Prosad Dasgupta, MD of Petronet LNG Ltd and Suresh Mathur, Director Essar Group were also present.

UNI