Coimbatore : Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) which had been awarded the Coimbatore Geographical Area (GA) in 9th City Gas Distribution Round, was targeting to provide domestic natural gas through pipeline in another eight years to almost all households in Coimbatore district, a top company official said on Tuesday.

This was a part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement to increase piped line gas connection from 28 lakh connections to 1 crore to reduce pollution in cities in the next four years, IOC Chief General Manager (Sales and Retail) Tamil Nadu-Puducherry, V Gopalakrishnan, said..

Accordingly, the corporation would take up the domestic piped.natural gas (PNG) connection works immediately, including the laying of pipeline where necessary.

About objection by farmers in laying pipes, he said the company had already pipeline up to Walayar in Kerala and would lay pipes over the existing one supplying petrol up to Karur.

IOC had 6.9 lakh gas connections out of 11 lakh in the district. This was expected to go up to 9  lakh in another eight years.

Similarly, IOC had identified 273 petrol bunks in Coimbatore district for providing Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), of which 41 would be taken up from October  and completed by September 2020, he said.

CNG is sold at Rs49.60 per kg in Mumbai and is cheaper than the fluctuating petrol and diesel, he said.

The company had also plans to convert all petrol bunks into solar-powered ones, even as 30 per cent were already run by it, Gopalakrishnan said.