Nearly 3 lakh PNG connections added in March: Govt

NEW DELHI: Govt on Sunday said about 6,000 piped gas consumers have surrendered their LPG connections in the last three days, while 2.9 lakh new PNG connections have been activated this month, easing pressure on cylinder stocks amid disruption of energy supplies due to the West Asia conflict.

Petroleum secretary Neeraj Mittal, in an online post, said that by giving up their LPG connections, people have helped those who don’t have access to gas cylinders. “Join this strong, bold group of do-good citizens who have come forward to give up LPG to help those get LPG who don’t have PNG,” he said on X.





Govt has made piped gas connections mandatory in areas with a network, and said LPG supply will be discontinued after three months. It has also launched a portal where PNG users can express their interest in giving up LPG. LPG cylinders will be picked up from houses and security deposit refunded by the distributor.

The petroleum ministry, in a statement, said govt was focused on sustaining uninterrupted availability of petroleum products and LPG across the country.

It said though the LPG supply has been affected due to the geopolitical situation, delivery of domestic LPG cylinders is normal, with 55 lakh refills distributed on Saturday. It added there were sufficient stocks of petrol and diesel.

Following concerns over adequate availability of PNG to operate urea plants, govt said supply was steady at around 70-75% of their average consumption in the last six months. “All industrial consumers, including fertiliser plants, have been advised to provide their additional requirement on a spot basis so that the same may be arranged by gas marketing companies,” govt said, adding that additional liquefied and regasified natural gas cargos were being sourced to maintain supplies and pipeline hydraulics.