Ministers and senior officials convened at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi for a roundtable review to accelerate expansion of Piped Natural Gas (PNG) infrastructure amid a nationwide LPG crisis linked to the conflict in West Asia. The meeting was attended by Ministers Pralhad Joshi, Manohar Lal and Hardeep Singh Puri, state administrators including municipal commissioners, and executives of the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) and Indian Oil. Participants reviewed strategies to ensure uninterrupted delivery of essential services while reducing dependence on cylinder supplies.

A target to provide five million (mn) new PNG connections was discussed. Deliberations focused on identifying implementation hurdles and proposing remedies such as fast tracking road cutting permissions and adopting deemed approval mechanisms. Officials highlighted technical and administrative bottlenecks affecting timely rollout and raised concerns about high right of way (RoW) charges and restoration fees.

The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) presented the current status of the rollout and underlined advantages of PNG over LPG in safety, reliability, affordability and environmental sustainability. Ministers called for mission mode implementation, institutionalisation of single window approvals and integration of PNG infrastructure into urban planning. Emphasis was placed on facilitating last mile connectivity and convergence with ongoing urban development initiatives.

States and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) were urged to promote PNG adoption, prioritising public institutions such as schools and colleges where pipelines are already available. Participants advocated designating nodal officers, streamlining approvals into single window, time bound systems and closer coordination between city gas distribution (CGD) entities and municipal authorities to resolve operational challenges.

Officials proposed rationalisation or temporary waiver of RoW charges and restoration fees to reduce costs and delays. They recommended adoption of deemed approvals and clear timelines for municipal permissions to accelerate projects. The roundtable concluded with commitment to a phased and structured transition supported by consumer awareness and safeguards to avoid service disruption.