BHUBANESWAR: In a bid to offset the aggravating impact of the West Asia conflict on cooking gas availability, the state government has set a three-month target to expand piped natural gas (PNG) connections across major cities and towns.
The initiative of the state government in collaboration with leading oil and gas companies aims to address the challenges in LPG distribution, which have become acutely visible in present times and provide more viable alternatives with uninterrupted supply.
The first phase of the rollout will focus on key cities including Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Sambalpur, Berhampur and Puri. Officials said the state capital alone has a target of providing PNG connections to 1.25 lakh households, with around 19,000 already covered. In Cuttack, nearly 9,000 households are currently receiving PNG supply.
The Housing & Urban Development department has been directed to fast-track approvals for pipeline installation with new applications to be cleared within 24 hours, and permission fees waived to expedite the process. Work is being undertaken on a war-footing to meet the June 30 deadline.
Briefing mediapersons after a high-level review meeting with officials of oil and gas companies, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare minister Krushna Chandra Patra said that the transition to PNG is essential to reduce dependence on LPG in urban areas.
He stated that households receiving PNG connections will have their existing LPG connections discontinued. Government and commercial establishments have also been urged to adopt PNG at the earliest, with assurances of expedited clearances.
Patra announced parallel measures to streamline LPG distribution and curb malpractice. He said LPG supply will continue uninterrupted in rural areas, while urban usage will gradually decline with PNG expansion.
To prevent black marketing and identity misuse, the government will implement a mandatory e-KYC system for LPG consumers. Once authenticated, individuals will no longer be able to secure multiple or fraudulent connections.
The meeting was also attended by H&UD Minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra. Principal secretary, FS&CW, Sanjay Kumar Singh said the state has also introduced stricter monitoring mechanisms, including biometric authentication for deliveries and full compliance with the delivery authentication code (DAC) system to eliminate “ghost deliveries.” A 24-hour control room has been set up to monitor supply, while essential institutions such as schools, Anganwadis, hospitals and Aahar Kendras will receive priority allocation.
Singh said all approvals required for city gas distribution (CGD) projects by GAIL (India) Limited and other oil marketing companies for PNG connection have been approved and they have been asked to expedite the expansion of PNG networks without delay.
As several consumers with PNG connection are still using LPG, officials of the oil and gas companies were directed to encourage them to surrender their gas cylinders.