Bolangir: Odisha Governor Professor Ganeshi Lal on Friday dedicated the new LPG bottling plant of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) at Barkani in Bolangir district to the people of the nation.
The Governor inaugurated the facility in the western Odisha district after last-minute cancellation of the scheduled visit of Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu for the event due to inclement weather. Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, MP Sangeeta Singh Deo, State minister Arun Sahoo and local MLA Narasingha Mishra, among others were present on the occasion.
Addressing the gathering, Ganeshi Lal said, “With the growth of LPG demand, the Bolangir bottling plant aims to cater to the need of LPG customers in 14 districts of Western Odisha. The plant will help in the economic development of the region and generate job opportunity for locals.”
“I am on behalf of the LPG consumers of 14 districts in Odisha express gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for setting up the bottling plant,” he added.
“Women are now keen to use gas cylinders for cooking. It helps in curbing pollution and save women from diseases caused by smoke. We have to make sure more women will use LPG gas for cooking and avail the benefit,” the Odisha Governor added.
Naidu in a voice message expressed regret for not being able to attend the programme.
"I waited for over three hours at Raipur Airport but visibility didn’t improve at destination site and my helicopter could not take off. I regret not being able to meet and greet the people of Odisha on this important occasion. I conveyed my wishes through an audio message," tweeted Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu.
The LPG bottling plant of BPCL which is second such facility to be operational in the State after a plant in Khurda, is considered to be a milestone for western Odisha.
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said this new Bottling plant will cater to clean cooking fuel requirements of Bolangir, Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, Sambalpur, Bargarh, Kalahandi, Sonepur, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Boudh, Kandhamal, Raygada and Nuapada districts and further enhance availability of LPG.
Set up at a cost of Rs 103 crore by BPCL, the plant has a capacity to produce 42 lakh cylinders per year. It will help supply LPG cylinders to the consumers in 14 districts of Odisha – Bolangir, Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, Sambalpur, Bargarh, Kalahandi, Sonepur, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabrangpur, Boudh, Kandhamal, Rayagada and Nuapada.
Even though, the foundation stone of the LPG bottling plant was laid on May 21, 2018, by Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, sources said the project was completed before schedule.