Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board’s (PNGRB) chairman Anil Kumar Jain held a crucial meeting with Punjab Governor and Administrator of UT-Chandigarh Banwarilal Purohit to discuss the advancements in oil and gas infrastructure, particularly in the Union Territory of Chandigarh.
The meeting, which took place on Friday, aimed to apprise the Governor of PNGRB's endeavours aligned with the Prime Minister's vision to elevate the share of natural gas to 15 percent in India's energy matrix.
In the briefing, Jain highlighted the progress made in the promotion of natural gas in Punjab, underlining the environmental benefits and practicality of using piped natural gas in cooking and compressed natural gas (CNG) in transportation. The discussions also delved into pivotal issues such as substituting polluting solid and liquid fuels with natural gas in industrial and commercial units, streamlining land restoration charges, and addressing value-added tax (VAT) on CNG.
Jain emphasized that with the backing of the UT Administration, the City Gas Distribution (CGD) licensee aims to provide ‘Har Ghar PNG’ (Piped Natural Gas in Every Home) by March 2025. This initiative aligns with Chandigarh’s commitment to being a clean and green city.
Governor Purohit commended these efforts and assured full support for the development of natural gas infrastructure in Chandigarh.
On the sidelines of the meeting, PNGRB chairperson also engaged with the UT Home Secretary Nitin Kumar Yadav discussing strategies to promote natural gas and enhance its utilization in domestic, transport, industrial, and commercial sectors.
The Home Secretary affirmed the UT Administration's full support towards advancing the use of natural gas in Chandigarh, expecting these discussions to significantly contribute to integrating this clean fuel into the city's energy mix.
PNGRB has achieved considerable milestones, authorizing 300 geographical areas across the country, covering 98 percent of the population and 88 percent of the area for the development of the City Gas Distribution (CGD) Network. The Board has set ambitious targets until 2032, aiming to provide 12.5 crore domestic PNG connections, establish 17,751 CNG stations, and lay 5,42,224 inch-km pipelines.
As of November 30, 2023, the country has seen the establishment of 1.2 crore domestic PNG connections and 6,159 CNG stations, marking significant progress in transitioning towards cleaner energy solutions.