1 month ago
1
Seeking to accelerate the propulsion for piped earthy state (PNG), the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), precocious connected Tuesday (March 24, 2026), invoking the Essential Commodities Act (ECA), instituted reforms to easiness provisions towards expanding piped state web — some home and commercial.
The Ministry underlined the reforms were aimed astatine “addressing delays successful approvals and entree to land, and enabling faster improvement of earthy state infrastructure, including successful residential areas”, alongside instituting an investor-friendly web and improving last-mile connectivity.
Further, they question to trim “compliance burden” done simplified procedures and clearer documentation requirements.
The Ministry’s propulsion for expanding piped earthy state (PNG) is aimed astatine easing immoderate of the unit from liquified petroleum state (LPG), supplies of which person been affected amidst the ongoing tensions successful West Asia.
However, arsenic underlined by officials during the regular inter-ministerial briefings astir the ongoing conflict, existent home accumulation of LPG is accounting for 50-60% of depletion requirements.
Also Read | India’s LPG crisis
The larger propulsion for PNG
In fact, successful the caller past, to cushion commercialized establishments and alteration an incentivised modulation to piped gas, the Ministry accorded further commercialized cylinder allocation of up to 50%, which is inclusive of a 10% quantum conditioned connected States and Union Territories moving to beforehand the piped state network. CGDs besides sought to supply incentives arsenic escaped state up to ₹500 and/or waiving disconnected information and registration charges for home consumers.
Further, indispensable to note, The Hindu learnt from elder officials that India has the imaginable to adhd 15 lakh caller PNG transportation successful the adjacent 2 weeks. They stated that addressing last-mile connectivity amidst unfavourable metropolis infrastructure successful definite areas was among the large hurdles which is being expeditiously addressed amidst the caller push.
Iran-Israel war: Follow LIVE updates connected March 25, 2026
Clearer timelines, procedures
The directive underlines circumstantial timelines, ranging from 10 days — for laying alloy pipes oregon PE pipes, to sixty days for laying pipeline of alloy pipelines of much than 20 inches successful diameter and for a region beyond 10 km.
Additionally, successful nationalist areas that are not lodging areas, the gazette seeks that if the acrophobic entity (that could beryllium the cardinal govt, authorities govt oregon municipality authorities) neither rejects nor grants support for laying of pipelines wrong stipulated timelines, the exertion would beryllium “deemed approved”.
Finally, successful a large determination towards facilitating easiness of business, the directive institutes defined compensation and restoration mechanics for ‘dig and restore’ arsenic good arsenic ‘dig and pay’, to avert disputes with section authorities.
Also Read | No support required to sail done Strait of Hormuz, says govt official
Permissions for laying pipelines successful lodging areas wrong 3 days
The gazette absorption underlines that successful lodging areas, the applicable entities would person to assistance indispensable support to “lay, physique oregon expand” a pipeline wrong 3 days of receiving an application. Further, they would person forty-eight hours to accord approvals for last-mile connectivity.
More importantly, the provisions authorities that proviso of LPG to the households successful the country shall cease wrong 3 months aft the CGDs has formally informed astir the applications not being granted the indispensable permissions.
Essential to enactment here, the proviso shall not cease if the CGD entity issues a no-objection certification (NOC) affirming that it is “technically infeasible for the authorised entity [that is, CGD] to supply a piped earthy state transportation to specified household”.
(With inputs from Nistula Hebbar)
