2 min readNew DelhiApr 3, 2026 01:29 AM IST
As the United States-Iran war continues into its second month, affecting global fuel supplies, the Union government is focusing on expanding the piped natural gas (PNG) network in urban areas, particularly 110 identified high-priority areas that cover 190 districts and over 300 municipalities, the government said on Thursday.
Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary Srinivas Katikithala and Petroleum and Natural Gas Secretary Neeraj Mittal on Thursday reviewed the expansion of PNG in urban areas, a statement from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs said. District Magistrates/Collectors of over 150 districts and municipal commissioners/executive officers of over 260 urban local bodies joined the meeting.
“The meeting focused on accelerating the expansion of PNG infrastructure in 110 identified focus geographic areas, while also strengthening last-mile connectivity in view of the evolving geopolitical situation in West Asia,” the MoHUA statement said.
The urban local bodies were asked to expedite permissions and approvals for expanding the PNG network. The MoHUA Secretary told states and urban local bodies to facilitate the mapping of the PNG pipelines, speed up the expansion of household connections and focus on meeting the unmet demand.
“Key policy and regulatory measures undertaken by the government were discussed, including the need for immediate prioritisation of providing household PNG connections in areas where pipeline infrastructure is already in place with a focus on unlocking the existing potential by targeting nearly 30 lakh connections in such areas,” the statement said.
The districts and urban local bodies were asked to prepare a three-week action plan, with ward-wise targets. Katikithala said there should be a focused campaign to meet the unmet potential.
“A saturation approach was proposed for major cities, including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR, Lucknow, Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Surat and Varanasi to achieve near-universal PNG coverage…It was further highlighted that all efforts should align with the broader vision of the national urban transition agenda, treating the expansion of PNG infrastructure with urgency akin to a national priority.”
