Nagpur: Emphasising that India’s heavy dependence on energy imports is draining the economy and worsening air pollution, Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari on Sunday strongly advocated for a rapid transition towards alternative fuels and a gas-based economy.
The Union minister, however, said bureaucratic delays and excessive permissions often slow down projects. “This must be overcome to make India energy self-reliant,” he said while asking Haryana City Gas (HCG), which has bagged the licence for supplying piped natural gas in Nagpur district, to prepare a two-year execution plan for expanding the network in Nagpur, as opposed to the company’s eight-year plan. “Eight years is too long. If we can build 10 national highways across the country in that time, why can’t this project be completed in two years?” Gadkari said, assuring officials of full support to fast-track approvals and clear bottlenecks.
HCG will get the piped natural gas (PNG) from Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) which operationalised its Mumbai-Nagpur pipeline running along the Samruddhi expressway. Gadkari was speaking at the function in Nagpur organised by HCG, to mark the start of piped CNG distribution in the district.
Gadkari also said at present, natural gas is available in some parts of the country, especially in Assam and Andhra Pradesh. “Large quantities of natural gas is also found in the Andaman and Nicobar islands. It will certainly help India’s economy,” said Gadkari, adding that Tadoba forest (Chandrapur district) also has natural gas and forest department permission is not needed for it.
He spoke at length about alternative fuels such as CNG, LNG, bio-CNG, ethanol, methanol, electric mobility, and green hydrogen, saying these options benefit both consumers and farmers. He underlined that farmers should evolve from being just “food providers” to becoming energy, fuel, bitumen, and even aviation fuel providers. He stressed that even if we manage to save ₹10 lakh crore and invest it in the rural agricultural economy, smart villages could be developed.
The Nagpur MP added that rice is the major agricultural crop in Bhandara, Gondia, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, and part of Nagpur district in Vidarbha. “Rice straw is abundantly available here. In Panipat, we have started a plant, which is a dream project of mine. From about 150 tonnes of rice straw per day, it produces around one lakh litres of bio-ethanol per day, bio-bitumen, and nearly 78,000 tonnes per year of sustainable aviation fuel. Even aircraft can now run on this fuel,” said Gadkari.
“The country imports nearly 87 per cent of its energy, costing over ₹23 lakh crore annually. This is not just an economic problem but also a major cause of air pollution. Import substitution, cost-effectiveness, pollution-free solutions, and indigenous technology are the govt’s priorities,” Gadkari said, adding that Delhi’s pollution is so bad that it is hard to live there.
“Hydrogen is also being introduced in construction and agricultural equipment. As transport minister, I have clearly told manufacturers to move away from diesel and petrol, otherwise stringent Euro-6 emission norms will be enforced. As a result, tractors with flex engines running on 100 per cent ethanol and CNG have already been developed,” said Gadkari.
