Despite an investment of Rs 100 crore, two projects to supply Piped Natural Gas (PNG) to Lucknow have hit a roadblock.

While one of the projects backed by the Centre is now facing hurdles from the state government, the other has its approval but the Centre is yet to sanction the required gas.

The Green Gas Ltd, a joint venture of GAIL and Indian Oil Corporation Ltd, could not complete the Centre backed project as the state government did not allow the company to lay the pipeline across the Lohia Path — 1.6 km stretch.

They had already laid a 24-km pipeline, built a mother station at Amausi, another station at Gomti Nagar and three daughter stations at a cost of Rs 80 crore over the last three years.

On the other hand, Adani Energy Limited, a private company, which was granted permission by the Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Corporation, has laid a 47-kilometre pipeline network across the city at a cost of Rs 35 crore.

But the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has not yet allotted the gas.

According to a senior officer in Adani Energy Ltd, the company took the permission from the state government in 2004-2005 before the formation of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Board, which came into existence in 2006.

“We do not come under the guidelines set by the board which are being used to deny us the gas. We legally won the tender placed by UPSIDC and started work. We have to depend on GAIL for gas supply, which is difficult to get because their own player is in the market,” the official added. The Green Gas Ltd also claims that they are the “only legal player” and the state government was creating unnecessary problems.

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