BENGALURU: Citizens will have to wait for a long time to get piped gas at their doorstep in Bengaluru. The reasons are many. Primarily, there is no consolidated underground infrastructure and utility map of the entire city or even wardwise.
There is also no space available alongside roads and footpaths to dig and lay pipelines. Further, while laying concrete white topped roads or even black topped roads under the Smart City project, no space has been left for laying the gas pipelines.
It is a government of India mandate that under the Smart City project, cities should have piped gas supply. It is being well executed in Mumbai and Delhi but not in Bengaluru, despite directions from the Supreme Court and the High Court.
According to data from the special desk created in the Urban Development Department, monitored by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) for executing the City Gas Distribution project in Karnataka, connections have been laid for 5.77 lakh households, but gas is being supplied to only 3.5 lakh households in the state.
In Bengaluru, infrastructure has been laid for 3.5 lakh households but supply is provided to only 1.2 lakh households.
“We have not been able to lay the last mile connectivity pipes for households, thus there is a gap of around 2.5 lakh houses. Land acquisition is a major hassle. In old areas of Bengaluru, pipes cannot be laid because of lack of space.
The work is in progress in newer areas. But in areas where road works have been completed, the mandated gap has not been maintained for the pipelines. There is a lot of red-tapism at the level of executive engineers while giving permissions,” said an official from the special desk.
Officials from the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Limited (B-SMILE) said, ducts have been created along smart city roads and newly laid roads which can be adequately used for all public utility works.
But officials in Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL), one of the eight listed agencies implementing the piped gas project in Bengaluru, said, “Gas pipelines are made of steel. They cannot be bent and passed through small ducts. Dedicated long stretches are needed for laying the pipelines. Lines have been laid on the city outskirts, but many houses are not connected. The government failed to make adequate provisions.”
In December 2026, the Government of India notified the Policy for Development of Natural Gas Pipelines and City or Local Natural Gas Distribution Networks.
In Karnataka, the project started in 2015 when the first gas agency was authorised for connection and supply. The last agency was authorised in 2022.
The Karnataka government also mandated that city and town master plans should include the gas distribution network, should have provision of CNG stations and ensure PNG infrastructure while giving building plan approvals.
This was listed in the Karnataka State Policy for the Development of City Gas Distribution Network, 2023. However, many engineers in the GBA and the five city corporations expressed obliviousness. “I am not aware of this. It was not discussed in the recently held revised master plan project meeting. We will look into it,” said a senior GBA engineer who did not wish to be named.