Chandigarh: Dr. Anil Kumar Jain, Chairperson of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), held a significant meeting with Shri Banwarilal Purohit, Administrator of the Union Territory (UT) of Chandigarh and Governor of Punjab, at Chandigarh on January 19, 2024.
During the meeting, Dr. Jain provided a detailed overview of the progress in Oil & Gas Infrastructure, particularly in the UT of Chandigarh. He highlighted the initiatives undertaken by PNGRB to align with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of increasing the share of Natural Gas to 15% in India’s energy portfolio. The Chairperson also updated the Governor on the advancements in promoting natural gas in Punjab, underscoring its inherent environmental benefits and convenience in cooking and transportation through Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).
Key issues such as the substitution of polluting solid and liquid fuels by Natural Gas in industrial and commercial units, rationalization in land restoration charges, and Value Added Tax (VAT) on CNG were discussed. Dr. Anil Jain emphasized that with the support of the UT Administration, the City Gas Distribution (CGD) licensee aims to provide “HarGhar PNG” (Piped Natural Gas in every household) by March 2025, aligning with Chandigarh’s clean and green city status.
The Governor praised the efforts and commitment, assuring full support for the development of natural gas infrastructure in the UT of Chandigarh.
In parallel, PNGRB Chairperson also met with Shri Nitin Kumar Yadav, IAS, Home Secretary, and Adviser to Administrator, along with Commissioner, MC, Chandigarh. Discussions during this meeting centered around the promotion of natural gas and its increased usage in domestic, transport, industrial, and commercial units. The Home Secretary expressed complete support from the UT Administration towards the shared goal of expanding the usage of this clean fuel in Chandigarh’s energy mix.
PNGRB has, to date, authorized 300 Geographical Areas across the country, covering 98% of the population and 88% of the area for the development of City Gas Distribution (CGD) Networks. PNGRB’s targets up to 2032 include providing 12.5 Crore domestic PNG connections, establishing 17,751 CNG stations, and laying 5,42,224 inch-km pipeline. As of November 30, 2023, 1.2 crore domestic PNG connections and 6,159 CNG stations have been established nationwide