Maharashtra cooperation dept to push 6k societies to switch all residents to PNG

PUNE: The state's cooperation department will reach out to chairmen and committee members of over 6,000 housing societies in the city to push a shift of all their residents to piped natural gas (PNG). District deputy registrars are set to write to societies where infra for this move exists, but usage remains low.

State cooperation commissioner Deepak Taware said, "There are 22,955 housing societies in Pune city, of which 6,035 have piped gas connections, but only 20-30% of their residents are using it. We are writing to committee members to urge that all members in these societies should switch to piped gas connection at the earliest to reduce load on LPG supply."




The cooperation department convened a meeting last week with state housing federation members and MNGL on this topic.

State housing federation members who attended the meeting said that they have already put out the message to all their members. "The letter will be sent out soon by the department. We are facilitating the move by providing details of housing societies that have PNG connections,'' a federation member told TOI.

MNGL director Bageshree Manthalkar saod the focus is on societies where pipelines are laid but residents have not opted for PNG. "The facility is at their doorstep but many are not using it. The cooperation department is writing to the chairman and society members to change this at the earliest," she said.

Manthalkar added that PNG connections are being fast-tracked for more societies. She further said that 10 prominent colleges in Pune city have been provided piped gas for their hostels' mess, and the same will be planned for the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU). "A survey is on for this," she added.

A district deputy registrar who attended the recent meeting said incentives could help accelerate adoption. Housing society representatives said awareness, internal approvals and cost concerns remain key challenges, especially in older buildings where LPG cylinders are backup.