11,000 Patna homes linked to PNG lines, connections soon

PATNA: Around 11,000 households in the state capital are now connected with the piped natural gas (PNG) network while 700 households are already getting piped supply of cooking gas, the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) has said.
“About 150km gas pipeline has been laid in Patna in the past one year,” a GAIL official said, adding, that 11,000 households are now connected with the pipeline network and gas supply at these homes will begin soon after the connection paper work is completed.
PNG in the city is being supplied under the Patna City Gas Distribution Scheme, which was launched by PM Narendra Modi on February 2019 from Begusarai. It targets to connect all households in Patna at an estimated cost of Rs 2,500 crore.
Rajneesh Goel, deputy general manager (DGM) of GAIL, Patna region, said on Thursday that currently pipoed gas is being supplied to several areas across the city, including at BIT colony, AIIMS colony, building construction department quarters in Rajbanshi Nagar, IGIMS colony and some parts of Jagdeopath.
“The gas pipelines have been laid at more locations covering 11,000 households, including DRM colony in Khagaul, electricity board quarters, Ved Nagar, Vikas Nagar, RPS colony, some parts of Rukkanpura and Gola Road. The supply of PNG will begin in these households by next week as registration work is in progress,” Goel said.
He added: “The target to connect all household in the city with PNG supply will be achieved by 2023. To achieve this target, we have to lay 1,000km pipelines in the city.”
GAIL is now in the process of laying pipelines on Bailey road and neighbouring areas on the stretch between Saguna Mor and Income-Tax roundabout.
To get PNG connection, the customers need to pay Rs 354 for registration and a refundable security deposit of Rs 6,000. PNG is priced at around Rs 23 per kg, which comes to around Rs 400 per month. The bill per month is calculated according to consumption.
Dr Ajit Kumar, who lives in AIIMS colony, said his wife has been using PNG for some months now. “It is cheaper than the LPG cylinder and lasts longer than the LPG cooking gas,” he added.
Trisha Kumar, registrar at BIT-Mesra Patna and a resident of BIT Colony said, “It is the first area in city which got PNG connection. I’m satisfied with the facility.”
The supply network being laid in Bihar is part of the Jagdishpur-Haldia gas pipeline project of the Centre under the Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga Yojana. The main pipeline is connected with the injection point at Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh.