New Delhi [India], March 28 (ANI): A roundtable review meeting on 'Expansion of Piped Natural Gas (PNG) Services and Maintaining Essential Services' in urban areas was held on Saturday at Vigyan Bhavan in Delhi, bringing together key stakeholders to deliberate on accelerating PNG network expansion across urban India and ensuring uninterrupted delivery of essential services.

As per the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, a detailed presentation by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas outlined the current status of PNG rollout, emphasising its advantages over LPG in terms of safety, reliability, affordability and environmental sustainability. Key challenges identified included delays in municipal permissions, Right of Way (RoW) approvals and high restoration charges, which continue to impede timely network expansion.

The meeting was attended by Union Ministers from the Ministries of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), and Consumer Affairs and Food & Public Distribution (MoCAFPD), along with Secretaries, senior officials from the Government of India, State Ministers, State Secretaries from Urban Development and Food & Civil Supplies Departments, Municipal Commissioners, CMDs of GAIL, Indian Oil and representatives of City Gas Distribution (CGD) units.

Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal underscored the critical role of cities as engines of economic growth and called for mission-mode implementation to accelerate PNG expansion. He outlined key priorities, including institutionalisation of single-window approvals, integration of PNG infrastructure into urban planning, facilitation of last-mile connectivity and convergence with ongoing urban development initiatives. An ambitious target of providing 50 lakh new PNG connections was also highlighted.

Addressing the gathering, the Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, highlighted the evolving global energy landscape and stressed the importance of strengthening PNG infrastructure to enhance energy security and resilience. He encouraged States and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) to actively promote PNG adoption, particularly in areas where infrastructure is already available.

Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Pralhad Joshi emphasised the need to maintain uninterrupted essential supplies, curb misinformation, and prevent black marketing of fuel. He advised States to strengthen monitoring and vigilance mechanisms and to encourage consumers to transition from LPG to PNG wherever feasible, with priority given to public institutions such as schools and colleges.

Deliberations during the roundtable highlighted several best practices, including fast-tracking of road-cutting permissions and adoption of deemed approval mechanisms to expedite project implementation. However, concerns were raised regarding high RoW charges and procedural delays. Participants stressed the need for rationalisation or temporary waiver of such charges and adoption of single-window, time-bound clearance systems. (ANI)