Speed up CGD infra in smaller towns of TG: Sridhar Babu

Industries and IT Minister D. Sridhar Babu, on Thursday, highlighted the need for accelerated rollout of City Gas Distribution (CGD) infrastructure across Tier-2 towns in Telangana to ensure equitable access to clean energy.

He called upon the Centre to facilitate more investments in the GAIL (India) – HPCL joint venture Bhagyanagar Gas towards setting up additional CNG stations in urban and semi-urban areas, the Telangana Information Centre in New Delhi said in a release on the Minister’s participation in a conference, organised by the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

Mr. Sridhar Babu underscored the necessity for deeper Centre-State collaboration to propel India’s clean energy transition and showcased Telangana’s progressive initiatives under its Clean & Green Energy Policy 2025.

The Minister, who was accompanied by Director of Industries Nikhil Chakravarthy, said that Telangana is committed to playing a vital role in India’s energy security. He reiterated the State’s readiness to serve as a national model for stable and sustainable energy development.

“With proactive policies, digital infrastructure and industrial preparedness, Telangana is ready to lead India’s clean energy revolution,” he told the Urja Manthan 2025 conference, in which Ministers from 22 States deliberated on energy security, clean fuel adoption and intergovernmental cooperation.

Citing Telangana’s strategic location along the East-West gas pipeline corridor, he urged for enhanced infrastructure and Central investments to support low-cost, gas-based industrialisation. He also sought Central incentives for MSMEs and industries under schemes like SATAT and the National Green Hydrogen Mission.

Co-financing of new liquefied natural gas (LNG) and compressed natural has (CNG) terminals by both Central and State governments; promoting investments in compressed bio-gas plants to utilise Telangana’s agricultural waste; measures to set up new CBG units and adopting innovative waste-to-energy technologies in agriculture-dense regions were other points the Minister highlighted.