Guwahati: Attending the diamond jubilee celebration of Assam Gas Company Limited (AGCL) at Duliajan in Dibrugarh district on Sunday, State chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma urges the gas company to strengthen its gas grid network and increase its capacity to reach neighbouring States and Countries.
He also called upon the AGCL to enter into the business of setting up electric vehicle charging stations in Assam. AGCL should venture into tapping energy generated from electricity other than energy produced from fossil fuel in view of growing importance of innovation and diversification in today’s business world, added Sarma.
Underlining the contributions of AGCL in the industrial landscape during the last six decades, he congratulated its past and present executives & officials and paid tributes to those, whose vision and initiatives were instrumental in setting up this industry. Sarma recalled the invaluable contributions of noted technocrat and engineer Debendra Nath Acharya, who played a crucial role in the consolidation of AGCL during its fledgling stage.
Stating that the company has emerged as a reliable and technically sound industry in terms of supply and distribution of natural gas, Sarma said that it has become a notable company today in supplying natural gas to the vast area covering various natural gas based industries in eastern Assam.
“AGCL has played a major role in tea production by providing gas in about 420 tea gardens and tea factories located in districts like Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, Charaideo, Jorhat and Golaghat. In addition, the use of natural gas supplied by AGCL at power sector industries has also played an important role in the generation of environment friendly energy,” stated Sarma.
He complimented the company for its ability to reach more than 42,000 domestic consumers as well as about 1,200 commercial establishments in urban and rural areas in eastern Assam. Sarma lauded the company for its recent success in winning a bid for building city gas distribution network jointly with Oil India Limited in Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Darrang, Udalguri, Sonitpur and Biswanath districts on the north bank of Brahmaputra as well as several districts in Tripura.
He opined that various projects undertaken by AGCL under its CSR initiatives for social and economic development of its adjoining areas over the years have had a positive impact on the entire region. Highlighting the Hydrocarbon Vision-2030 of the Union government Sarma commented that Assam and other north-eastern States have immense potential in the hydrocarbon sector and the region can script a spectacular growth narrative.
In presence of Union minister Rameswar Teli, State industries & commerce minister Chandra Mohan Patowary, tea-tribe welfare minister Sanjay Kisan, AGCL chairman Bolin Chetia, DNPL chairman Rupam Goswami with others, Sarma urged the company’s management to work in close coordination with the Centre’s PSUs, sister organizations and local community to give a new impetus to its operation and development journey.
