Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) Chairman Anil Kumar Jain on Sunday urged consumers to opt for piped natural gas (PNG), which was a cleaner and economical fuel.
Mr. Jain, who was in the city to review implementation of PNG networks in Tamil Nadu by various operators, told presspersons that so far 17,000 households had opted for PNG. The target was to cover 2.2 crore households by 2030-31.
People are not willing to switch over from liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which they are used to. In several cases, local bodies were not giving required permissions or house owners were not interested since they have laid granite and marble in kitchens that cannot be altered. It was the same case when LPG was introduced, Mr. Jain said.
The PNGRB has launched a campaign to encourage more households to convert to PNG. The Centre provides gas from ONGC to these private operators so that PNG will be priced economically. Around 50% of compressed natural gas (CNG) being made available in the country is imported, he explained.
The PNGRB Chairman said that he has written to the Chief Secretaries of all States asking them to extend all assistance to companies that are installing PNG connections. He appreciated Tamil Nadu’s VAT rate of 5% for CNG. “There are some where VAT is as high as 15%. This State has a very good policy for CNG and PNG. They are allowing companies to dig and restore the roads when they lay pipelines.”
Earlier in the day, he launched AG&P Pratham’s 501th household connection and a CNG station in Kancheepuram geographical area. He also inagurated the first PNG connection under the PNGRB’s PNG drive. AG&P Pratham’s Managing Director and CEO Abhilesh Gupta was also present on the occasion.
In the evening, Mr. Jain laid the foundation stone for a company owned, company operated CNG outlet of Torrent Gas at Velachery. Local households will be able to get PNG connections from this station. He also visited several households in Manali New Town that had received PNG connections recently and interacted with residents. Deepak Dalal, Director, Torrent Gas said that Gujarat had 25% coverage of PNG whereas the national average was only 5%. “The pipelines are very safe. This fuel is cheaper than LPG and available 24×7 without any interruptions,” he said.