CHENNAI: The union government’s recent directive to households in urban areas with existing piped natural gas infrastructure to switch to PNG from LPG is unlikely to have any immediate impact in Chennai, considering the progress of supply network installation.
According to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), approximately 33 lakh PNG connections should be provided in Chennai and Tiruvallur districts by March 31, 2030, along with the laying of a 6,666-kilometre-long pipeline network.
However, as of December 1 last year, Torrent Gas – the authorised gas distributor for Chennai and Tiruvallur districts – had provided connections to only 4,933 households. It informed the PNGRB that the company laid pipelines for 2,868 km, according to the data presented in Parliament. As a result, even consumers willing to switch to PNG are left with no viable option. An official spokesperson for Torrent Gas refused comment.
PNG supply, however, has increased substantially in districts like the Nilgiris, Erode and Coimbatore. The Nilgiris and Erode together have provided PNG connections to 41,999 households, the highest in the state, against a combined target of 8.84 lakh families. Coimbatore follows with 39,239 connections against a target of 9.12 lakh households, and about 2,500 km of the proposed 3,079-km pipeline network has been completed there, the recent data in Parliament showed.
Meanwhile, residents who expressed willingness to switch to PNG to avoid buying LPG cylinders every month said the firm’s call centre agents don’t communicate in Tamil or English. “They simply said in Hindi that they would contact me, but I received no response,” said S Arunachalam of Anna Nagar.
Another resident, S Chandran of Korattur, said, “The government should take action against companies who refuse to provide basic information to consumers.”