Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Srinivas Katikithala and Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Neeraj Mittal, today chaired a joint review meeting through video conferencing in New Delhi on expanding PNG connections in urban areas. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs said that the meeting focused on accelerating the expansion of Piped Natural Gas (PNG) infrastructure in 110 identified focus Geographic Areas, while also ensuring uninterrupted delivery of essential services and strengthening last-mile connectivity in view of the evolving geopolitical situation in West Asia. The meeting laid emphasis on sensitizing States, districts and ULBs regarding the ongoing current situation and how to explore the potential of PNG infrastructure.
During the meeting, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs directed the States and ULBs to facilitate the mapping of PNG pipeline networks, accelerate the expansion of household PNG connections and focus on tapping unmet demand in the identified Geographic Areas to ensure greater access to safe, convenient and affordable fuel, thereby improving the quality of life and ease of living for urban households. He also directed them to prepare a time-bound three-week action plan with ward-wise targets, identification of priority areas and clear timelines for approvals and execution. He emphasized that continuous monitoring mechanisms at the Centre, State and district levels must be strengthened using technology platforms such as an MIS portal, to effectively track progress and promptly resolve bottlenecks. City Gas Distribution entities were directed to map their PNG pipeline networks on the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan portal for coordinated planning, population projects and integration of underground utility networks.
Further, all States and Union Territories were directed to mandatorily constitute dedicated Quick Response Teams or Task Forces at the district and city levels under the direct supervision of the District Collector or Municipal Commissioner. These teams shall ensure daily monitoring, close coordination among all stakeholders and time-bound resolution of operational issues, so as to avoid any delays in the implementation of PNG infrastructure. The discussions focused on identifying strategies to enhance consumer adoption and accelerate the rollout of PNG connections across the identified focus Geographic Areas.
