At National Roundtable, Centre Pushes Expansion of PNG Services in Cities; Target of 50 Lakh New Connections

Ziraat Times Team Report

New Delhi, March 29: A roundtable review meeting on expanding Piped Natural Gas (PNG) services and maintaining essential services in urban areas was held at Vigyan Bhavan, bringing together key stakeholders from the Centre, states, public sector energy companies, and city gas distribution units.

The meeting, organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, in coordination with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, focused on accelerating PNG network expansion across urban India while ensuring uninterrupted delivery of essential services.

Union ministers, senior officials of the Government of India, state ministers, state secretaries from Urban Development and Food and Civil Supplies departments, municipal commissioners, and heads of major public sector companies such as GAIL and Indian Oil Corporation attended the meeting along with representatives of City Gas Distribution (CGD) entities.

Ministers from several states, including Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Maharashtra, Haryana, and Odisha, participated in person, while representatives from Telangana, Karnataka, and Rajasthan joined virtually.

During the meeting, the Secretary of the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry highlighted rising urban energy demand and stressed the need for efficient service delivery alongside expansion of clean energy access.

A presentation by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry outlined the current status of PNG rollout and highlighted its advantages over LPG in terms of safety, reliability, affordability, and environmental sustainability. However, officials pointed to delays in municipal permissions, Right of Way (RoW) approvals, and high restoration charges as key challenges slowing network expansion.

Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar called for mission-mode implementation to accelerate PNG expansion. He stressed the importance of single-window approvals, integration of PNG infrastructure into urban planning, improved last-mile connectivity, and convergence with ongoing urban development programmes. An ambitious target of providing 50 lakh new PNG connections was also highlighted during the meeting.

Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri spoke about the evolving global energy landscape and emphasised strengthening PNG infrastructure to improve energy security and resilience. He urged states and urban local bodies to actively promote PNG adoption, particularly in areas where infrastructure is already in place.

Meanwhile, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Pralhad Joshi highlighted the need to ensure uninterrupted essential supplies, curb misinformation, and prevent black marketing of fuel. He advised states to strengthen monitoring mechanisms and encourage consumers to transition from LPG to PNG where feasible, giving priority to public institutions such as schools and colleges.

Deliberations during the roundtable also highlighted best practices such as fast-tracking road-cutting permissions and adopting deemed approval mechanisms to speed up project implementation. Participants, however, raised concerns about high RoW charges and procedural delays and called for rationalisation or temporary waiver of such charges along with time-bound clearance systems.

State representatives emphasised the need for stronger coordination among Urban Development Departments, municipal bodies, and Food and Civil Supplies Departments to ensure smooth implementation. There was broad agreement on facilitating a phased transition from LPG to PNG in areas where infrastructure already exists, supported by consumer awareness campaigns and safeguards to avoid disruption of essential services.

States and urban local bodies agreed to streamline approval processes, rationalise RoW charges, and designate nodal officers for better coordination. CGD entities and municipal commissioners also committed to closer collaboration to address operational challenges and improve service delivery.

Following the roundtable, a breakout session between CGD entities and municipal commissioners focused on city-specific issues, including bottlenecks and pending approvals. Participants agreed to adopt a structured action plan with defined timelines, set up local task teams, and introduce regular monitoring mechanisms to ensure timely progress in PNG network expansion.