State initiates groundwork for city gas distribution policy

Bhubaneswar: In a major push towards strengthening urban utility infrastructure and accelerating adoption of clean energy, the housing and urban development department initiated groundwork for formulating a comprehensive City Gas Distribution (CGD) Policy for Odisha.A high-level consultative meeting was held on Thursday under the chairpersonship of additional chief secretary and Idco chairperson Usha Padhee, in collaboration with GAIL (India) Ltd and Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. The session focused on designing a strategic roadmap for expanding piped natural gas (PNG) networks across the cities.Padhee stressed the need for creating an aspirational yet practical policy framework to support rapid expansion of CGD networks.

“The proposed policy will be instrumental in enhancing access to clean, efficient and reliable energy, contributing to sustainable urban development and improved service delivery,” she said during the meeting.She said the state aims to build a futuristic, citizen-centric policy that simplifies procedures, accelerates infrastructure rollout and enhances ease of living. The discussions centred on several components expected to form the core of the CGD policy for the state.

The components include streamlined permissions, rationalised licence fees, single-window clearance mechanisms and deemed approval systems for quicker execution of gas pipeline projects. Institutional coordination, adoption models and service delivery frameworks for seamless implementation were also deliberated upon.Senior officials from IOCL and GAIL briefed the department on technical requirements, existing network gaps and best practices for accelerating PNG coverage.

Odisha is working closely with these two major national energy players to ensure efficient execution of CGD infrastructure and leverage their technical expertise, sources said.Once finalised, the CGD policy is expected to facilitate faster rollout of PNG pipelines, improve coordination among multiple departments and utilities, and position the state as a frontrunner in clean and sustainable energy solutions for urban areas. Officials said the inputs gathered during Thursday’s meeting would help shape the CGD policy.