Our Bureau
New Delhi
India is seeing a big push to switch from LPG cylinders to piped natural gas (PNG) as daily new connections hit record highs. The government wants more homes to use PNG after supply issues from West Asia tensions hit LPG stocks.
In March 2026, the country added over 300,000 new PNG connections, linking more than 10,000 homes each day. This marks a record jump, said PNGRB chairperson Anil Kumar Jain. Connections now run at 10,000 to 12,000 daily, up from 3,000 to 4,000 before the crisis.
The drive speeds up due to war around the Strait of Hormuz, which cut LPG supplies. By end-February, India had 1.64 crore home PNG links, plus 48,568 commercial and 21,512 industrial ones. Since March, about 3.97 lakh more connections have been gasified.
City gas firms aim for 30,000 daily connections soon with better teamwork. Indraprastha Gas Ltd MD Sanjay Chatiwal said the pace tripled post-war. A January to March campaign kicked off slow but picked up fast.
The Centre cut City Gas project nods to 10 days and wants states to drop fees and speed approvals. LPG will stay key, but PNG offers easy pipe supply without refills. Target: Grow from 1.64 crore to 12 crore links by 2034.
This shift boosts cleaner fuel use and cuts panic buying. Families like the convenience as PNG flows straight to kitchens.
