DOOMDOOMA, Aug 14 - At the initiative of the State government, Assam Gas Company Limited (AGCL) has decided to increase its number of piped cooking gas consumers to 2 lakhs in the next three years.
As per this new project to be implemented by AGCL, each consumer will have to pay Rs 3 daily for the use of the fuel and thus a consumer will have to pay only Rs 90 per month.
It may be mentioned here that after assuming the office of the Managing Director of the AGCL on September 2 last year, Gakul Chandra Swargiyari has taken this new initiative. AGCL already has 35,041 piped cooking gas consumers in Dibrugarh, Duliajan, Sivasagar, Moran, Nazira, Digboi, Naharkatia, Tinsukia, Margherita, Ledo, Jorhat and Titabar towns in upper Assam.
Earlier, a consumer had to deposit security money of Rs 12,000 for piped gas connection. Besides, the consumer also had to pay the postpaid bill for using the fuel every month. Hence, the entire process was very expensive and it could not be afforded by the low-income group people.
Therefore, the AGCL has brought about a lot of changes in its previous scheme so that it is viable for all sections of the society. Very soon the prepaid gas supply system will also be introduced by AGCL. This new scheme will be implemented from August 15, informed the AGCL MD.
This 57-year-old profit-making company under the State government is also planning to extend its business to various neighbouring States.
As part of the new project of the AGCL, Swargiyari recently inaugurated the piped gas supply scheme to 350 households of APL Colony at Namrup. The inaugural programme was also attended by Assam Petrochemicals Limited chairman Bikul Chandra Deka and Managing Director Atul Chandra Barman.
Addressing the gathering, Manoj Baruah, DGM (Marketing) of AGCL, illustrated various safety measures for the use of piped gas for cooking in the households.
Meanwhile, the local people of the greater Doomdooma area have urged the AGCL authority to extend its project of supplying piped cooking gas to the households of this region also.
Since AGCL is supplying gas to the tea factories of the Doomdooma area, it won�t be very difficult for the company to supply piped cooking gas to the households of this region, people opined.
