MNGL’s piped gas connections up by 120% in Pune & Pimpri Chinchwad

Pune: There has been a major spike in demand for piped natural gas (PNG) supplied by the Maharashtra Natural Gas Limited (MNGL) in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad, with numbers increasing from a daily average of 180-190 connections to 400, said officials."There has been a 120% growth of connections amid the LPG cylinder shortage. Earlier, on an average, we would install around 180-190 connections per day. However, we are now looking at 400 connections on an average per day. This clearly shows an increase in MNGL's capacity too," a senior company official told TOI on Sunday.Officials said the MNGL currently has the capacity to supply piped gas to over 8 lakh domestic consumers in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad. "The number of PNG connections have definitely increased over the last few days. We need to check figures regarding our full capacity, but we are increasing it as well as our resources each day. Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad have many housing societies and townships. Despite provisions of PNG supply lines, people often continue to use LPG cylinders. We are convincing them through different promotional activities to switch," the official added.Many people said they had been receiving promotional texts from the MNGL encouraging them to opt for a PNG connection.The official said, "We have started some promotions like rebate on the first bill along with zero application charges if one applies for a fresh connection. There are some schemes for those willing to take commercial PNG connections too. One can download the MNGL application or log on to the website (mngl.in) for the same."Parul Ravi Ghatge, who lives in a housing society on Salunke Vihar Road, said a PNG connection was better in the current circumstances. "There is availability of piped gas connections in my society. I had not opted for it till now, but will go ahead and get one soon. I don't have any idea about the billing, but it will definitely save us from hassles. I will enquire about how the bill is generated each month on an average," the homemaker said.Last week, the Centre sent out a circular saying citizens using piped gas needed to surrender their LPG connections. It caught people off guard and many said the announcement timing wasn't right amid the current crisis."We are in the process of submitting data on PNG connections in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad to the oil companies," said the MNGL official.