70 per cent of residential flats in Mumbai to get CNG connection by 2022

Government of India today said it is preparing a concrete plan for providing piped gas connections to at least 70 per cent of households in Mumbai by 2022.

“We have decided to provide piped natural gas (PNG) to at least 70 per cent of the houses in the Mumbai metropolis by 2022. We will hold talks with the state government and the municipal corporation also to achieve this target,” Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said here after a review meeting with officials of the natural gas distribution company, Mahanagar Gas Limited.

Pradhan said a feasibility study will be conducted before implementing the plan, and added that “the decision is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plan to put the piped gas connectivity in the nationwide mission mode.”

Currently, there are 15 crore LPG connections in the country, while the number of piped natural gas (PNG) connections stands at around 20-22 lakh, of which Mumbai alone accounts for 7.30 lakh customers, he said.

“PNG is a good clean, cheaper and safe fuel,” he said. Modi government is committed to extend the piped gas networks in the country to 30,000 kms in the next 15 years as against the 15,000 kms network today, the Minister said.

Besides, the government also has plans to provide PNG connectivity to all crematoriums in the city as people often complain of power and fire wood shortage at these places, he said.

Natural gas appliances are economically competitive and help make homes energy-efficient. The use of natural gas is fully compatible with the most efficient and up-to-date methods of building insulation. The latest innovations in gas appliances are increasingly efficient and consistent with the new environmental policies introduced in the country. Moreover, with the gradual introduction of the eco-friendly gas for new buildings, natural gas’s market share for domestic use has been growing significantly.

Gas is also traditionally used in cooking. For food preparation, gas is used to fuel cookers comprising a cooktop and an oven. The oven can be a separate unit from the cooktop. Cooking appliance manufacturers have developed a range of products that offer a combination of convenience and safety. Gas offers a wide range of food preparation settings: from low-level simmering to high-temperature cooking. In apartment buildings, individual apartments can have their own heating and hot water appliances, in which case they are the same as those used in individual houses.