By: Ranjan DasguptaNASHIK: The project to supply green fuel in the city undertaken by Maharashtra Natural Gas Limited (MNGL) has hit a roadblock following its inability to pay the 'exorbitant' road digging charges levied by the municipal corporation. Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) has informed MNGL that the latter would have to shell out Rs 4,500 per metre for digging the roads in the city.MNGL has to dig the roads to lay underground pipes for supplying compressed natural gas (CNG) to fuel stations and piped natural gas (PNG) to the households and industrial units. In the next eight years, it has to lay underground pipes in about 500 kilometre across the city for supplying both the green fuels.The firm has to get the approval of the civic body on a compulsory basis to dig even one metre below the surface of the road within city limits."We are unable to carry out digging until this issue is addressed. NMC's digging charges is unaffordable for the company. We would have to shell out about Rs 250 crore to the civic body. Such high charges will escalate the cost of the project. We will have no option but to pass on the charges to the consumers. This will imply that CNG and PNG will be available at a higher price in the city," said sources in MNGL.MNGL officials argued that apart from the digging charges, it would have to spend an additional Rs 5 lakh per metre to lay the pipes, including labour cost."We will use our manpower to fill up the dug up area. NMC will have to put bitumen on the part of the road that has been dug. The charges levied by the civic body are very high," said an MNGL official adding that in Pune, the civic administration had charged only Rs 2745 for digigng a metre of the road.The firm, a joint venture between GAIL and BPCL, has written to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and district guardian minister Girish Mahajan requesting them to intervene in the issue and press upon the civic body to lower the digging charges."The digging charges proposed by MIDC, PWD and various gram panchayats in Nashik are much less. MIDC has agreed to levy Rs 1000 per metre, PWD would charge Re 1/metre and the charges levied by various gram panchayats in Nashik range from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 per metre. As far as NMC is concerned, we cannot afford to pay beyond Rs 2,000 a metre," added a senior functionary in MNGL.Municipal commissioner Radhakrishna Game said that NMC would be charging not any less than Rs 4,500 a metre for digging concrete roads, which are very few in number. The rates for digging the tar roads and pavements would be much lesser."I have also given the option to MNGL to fully repair all the dug up roads after laying the underground pipes so that the civic body does not have to do anything. In that case, there won't be any dispute about the road digging charges. It is for MNGL to decide what option they choose," added Game.

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