Jaipur, March 30 (IANS) Additional Chief Secretary (Mines and Petroleum) Aparna Arora has directed all 13 City Gas Distribution (CGD) entities in the state to expand piped natural gas (PNG) connections from the current 1.25 lakh households to 5 lakh households within the next three months.
She also instructed them to prepare a clear roadmap for extending domestic PNG (DPNG) services to industrial and commercial establishments.
Emphasising the need for rapid implementation, she called for a three-to four-fold increase in the current rate of connection issuance.
At present, CGD entities are providing around 50 connections per day; this is to be scaled up to approximately 200 connections daily.
Aparna Arora was addressing representatives and officials of CGD entities at a hybrid meeting held in the ‘Manthan’ Conference Room at the Secretariat on Monday.
She noted that 13 CGD entities are currently operating across 17 geographical areas in the state to provide CNG and PNG services by developing the required infrastructure.
She stressed that in areas where infrastructure for DPNG, as well as industrial and commercial gas supply, is already in place, CGD entities, district administrations, and citizens must work in close coordination to accelerate connection issuance and promote clean energy adoption. She highlighted the need to simultaneously expand infrastructure and increase connections.
Directing District Collectors to play an active role, she instructed them to coordinate with CGD entities, conduct awareness campaigns, and engage with industrial and commercial stakeholders to encourage the adoption of PNG connections.
She described this initiative as a significant opportunity for both service providers and the public, and noted that it remains a priority for both the Central and state governments.
Arora also emphasised connecting industrial establishments across key zones, including Vishwakarma, Jhotwara, and Mahindra SEZ in Jaipur, the textile cluster in Bhilwara, industrial areas in Balotra, and various RIICO industrial estates. She further called for targeted outreach to hotels and dhaba operators to encourage the adoption of natural gas connections.
Reiterating the importance of accountability, she said CGD entities must operate with a clearly defined timeline and roadmap to achieve targets within the stipulated timeframe, warning that negligence at any level will not be tolerated.
Ranveer Singh, Managing Director, Rajasthan State Gas, presented an overview of the progress achieved by CGD entities and outlined future targets. The meeting was attended by Joint Secretary (Mines) Arvind Saraswat, Director (Petroleum) Avdhesh Singh, OSD to ACS Krishna Sharma, Superintending Geologist Sunil Verma, along with representatives of CGD entities and senior officials from the Department of Petroleum.
–IANS
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