Concern for Environment
The rapid growth of Delhi in recent times has resulted in significant increase in environmental pollution. Today Delhi has three times more vehicles than Mumbai. Vehicular pollution contributes to about 67% of the total air pollution load (approximately 3,000 mt. per day) in Delhi. 
It was widely perceived that the problem was threatening to get out of hand. Hence, effective and coordinated measures for controlling pollution were needed to be put in place without delay. 

Incorporation of IGL 
In Dec 1998 IGL was incorporated as a joint venture company of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. and Gas Authority of India Ltd. to implement the CNG expansion programe and the Piped Natural Gas (PNG) project for domestic / commercial customers. Subsequently private equity investors were also roped in to fund the CNG expansion programe. The natural gas allocation to IGL has been increased to 2.0 mmscmd from initial 0.48 mmscmd considering the huge demand potential of CNG / PNG segments.
The two main business objectives of the company are:

• provide a safe, convenient, reliable  natural gas supply to the customers in domestic and commercial  sector.
• provide a cleaner, environment friendly alternative auto fuel for residents of Delhi and thus contribute to reduction of the present alarmingly high pollution levels. 

Clean & Economical Fuel
Superior to petrol, it operates at one-third the cost of conventional fuel. Commonly referred to as the green fuel because of its lead free characteristic, it reduces harmful emissions and is non-corrosive, thus enhancing longevity the life of spark plugs. 

Better Combustion Qualities
CNG has much higher octane number and lower cetane number, which makes CNG, a good alternative for spark ignition engine but unsuitable fuel for compression ignition engines. Higher octane number makes it superior fuel than petrol, as the octane number of CNG is high, no anti knock additives are required. 

Safe Fuel
Natural gas being lighter than air, in the case of a leak, will burn above ground level and disperse in the atmosphere. Also the high ignition temperature and limited flammability range of natural gas make accidental ignition or combustion unlikely. 

Capacity
IGL has set up 105 CNG stations, including 16 dedicated stations for DTC depots, in record time of 3 years. The existing installed compression capacity is 11.56 lakh kg/day. By end June 2003 the no. of CNG stations are planned to be increased to 110 and the compression capacity to 16.11 lakh kg/day. 

Steel Pipeline for West Delhi
IGL has laid a 23 km long 12-inch pipeline from Dhaula Kuan to GT Karnal Road in order to meet the CNG demand for West Delhi at a cost of approx. Rs. 22 Crores. This pipeline has connected DESU Maruti pipeline with DESU Bahadurgarh pipeline thus completing the loop of natural gas pipeline around Delhi. 

Piped Natural Gas (PNG: A Fuel for all Requirements)
IGL has laid extensive Polyethylene Pipeline network in various domestic colonies of Delhi and is supplying Piped Natural Gas to more than 6000 households. There are no. of 5-star hotels such as Hyatt Regency, Hotel Taj Mahal, Oberoi etc. who are using PNG for their multiple fuel requirements such as cooking, boilers, Air-conditioning etc. The PNG customers experience has been quite excellent due to the hassle free use of PNG whereby fuel supply is ensured through direct pipeline connection. The plan is to provide PNG to each and every household in Delhi and surrounding areas. 

Benefits to the public at large: Improved Air quality
The effect of IGL’s efforts is clearly visible in the improved air quality that can be easily felt. The comparative data on pollution levels in Delhi between Jan. 2002 and April 2002 as given in table below indicates more than 50% reduction in air pollution:

Note: In April 2002 about 5000 diesel buses were off the roads as Supreme Court had imposed fine on all diesel buses running on the roads.

Future Plans
It is true that in the past there had been problems with regard to the mismatch between CNG supply and demand. Now the situation has improved and the waiting time of CNG vehicles has reduced considerably. IGL is putting up all efforts to meet the increased demand for CNG that has arisen because of the fuel economy it provides. IGL has firmed up plans to augment the CNG distribution infrastructure. The highlights of the plan for FY 2002-03 and FY 2003-04 are:

1. Cumulative capital expenditure to touch a level of Rs. 522 crs.
2. No. of CNG stations to increase to 110 or more from existing 96
3. Compression capacity to increase to 16.11 lakh kg/day with 111 compressors installed at various CNG stations
4. Dedicated Mega Bus Stations to be set exclusively for private buses. One such station has already been installed at CRRI, Mathura Road.