PNG demand surge: LPG refill shortage drives 20% increase in PNG queries; GAIL plans to expand connections amidst rising interest

Jamshedpur: The LPG refills shortage has shot up Piped Natural Gas (PNG) demand in the two adjoining industrial towns of Jamshedpur and Seraikela in Kolhan division. Officials of the Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL), which provides PNG connection to households, industry and hospitality sector in the Kolhan division since 2017, on Tuesday said that they have registered 20% jump in the daily queries for PNG connections in the last 10 days.“Earlier, our customer services cell received average 10 calls daily but in the last 10 days it tripled daily,” said Gauri Shankar Mishra, GM, GAIL India (Jamshedpur circle). Similarly, in neighbouring Seraikela, GAIL Gas is receiving 20 calls daily which is 15 more than the average daily call. Currently, 9,000 households in Jamshedpur have piped gas connections of which 5,000 are active. This apart, 70 hotels and restaurants are connected with piped gas. GAIL has planned to add 5,000 new household connections in the next eight months. In Seraikela-Kharsawan district’s Adityapur and Gamharia, there are 8,000 household connections of which 2,000 are active.“The recent crisis has made people realise the advantage of having piped gas which is economical too. We plan to add 10,000 new connections in the next six months. The bulk demand for the connections is mostly coming from the residential flats where we have our existing supply,” said GAIL Gas, GM, H P Srivastava.