The Mysuru City Corporation council on Friday gave its consent for piped gas supply in the city which had run into rough weather over concerns by a section of the elected representatives.
But it was not a smooth affair as the council meeting was held amidst pandemonium and ruckus created by a section of the Congress members on the grounds that the tenure of Mayor Sunanda Palanetra of the BJP was over and any decision taken would be infructuous.
A section of the members also questioned the basis on which the Budget was presented on Thursday as the tenure of the Mayor was over. But MCC Commissioner Lakshmikanth Reddy and other officials cited various provisions of the rules under which the meeting could be held and refuted the arguments.
Amidst the din and the pandemonium the Mayor broached the subject of gas pipeline to the city which is a Central Government project and announced the council’s approval.
Even the BJP councillors had abstained from one of the earlier council meetings to scuttle the process of giving the nod to lay the pipeline. This had irked Mysuru MP Pratap Simha who had lashed out at his party members and asked them to eschew petty mindedness and think big on infrastructure issues
L. Nagendra, MLA, had also raised objections to the project on the grounds that the city roads which were already in a bad condition and in need of repairs, would be dug up. The issue has been internally resolved though there are scepticism in some quarters and the MCC’s approval paves the way for expediting the project. It entails digging and creating a 500-km long network of pipes to ensure supply of cooking gas to the domestic and even commercial and industrial consumers.
A private gas distribution company has been authorised by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) to ensure supply to Mysuru and Mr. Simha had stated recently that it would be extended to various towns and cities in the neighbouring districts as well.
