The Vasai Virar Municipal
Corporation has repeatedly
requested the Maharashtra
government for
supply of piped LPG and CNG
distribution in the municipal
corporation area.
Although the corporation has
taken up the matter with the
state government and PNGRB
on several occasions, the survey
work for the region is yet to
be taken up.
In a follow-up, the municipal
corporation stated that according
to 2001 census the population
of Vasai tehsil was
7,95,863. Now in 2011 census,
Vasai tehsil population is
around 15-16 lakh. In 2020
census, the tehsil’s population
is expected to become more
than 30-32 lakh.
It further said that Vasai Virar
city municipal corporation
area was rapidly expanding in
population and termed it as a
third Mumbai in the making.
The increasing population and
vehicular traffic has created a
demand for alternate fuel in
the region. In the city municipal
corporation area people are
from lower middle class and
most of them reside in small
apartments and chawls. The
cooking medium used is firewood;
this has encouraged
rampant cutting of trees in this
area for the past few years.
These issues have created
environmental problems in the
region. Also due to shortage in
supply of kerosene malpractice,
black marketing of
kerosene is very high, the corporation
informed.
Further, the corporation mentioned
that the Vasai-Virar
region has 25,000-30,000 small
scale industries of which 25
per cent are export oriented.
The Tarapur MIDC is located
just 35 km away from Vasai
Virar Municipal Corporation
area while the GAIL pipeline is
40 km away.
Also, Mumbai city is just 15
km away from the corporation.
In view of this, the corporation
has sought a detailed survey of
the Vasai Virar region and permission
for the supply of piped
LPG and CNG distribution in
the region at a fast pace.