Jaipur, May 14 (IANS) Rajasthan Chief Secretary V. Srinivas on Thursday directed the City Gas Distribution (CGD) entities in the state to significantly accelerate the rollout of Piped Natural Gas (PNG) connections, setting a target of connecting an average of 1,000 households per day.

He instructed that 43,000 households must be brought under PNG coverage within the next 45 days, by June-end.

Chairing a meeting of the State-Level CGD Committee at the Secretariat’s ‘Chintan Kaksh’ on Thursday, the Chief Secretary said households in areas where pipeline infrastructure is already in place must be prioritised for immediate PNG connections.

Representatives from all 13 CGD entities participated in the meeting.

He added that both the Central and state governments are strongly promoting the transition from LPG to PNG and the development of designated “LPG-free zones”.

Srinivas directed the CGD entities to ensure public awareness about PNG’s benefits, including 24×7 supply, elimination of cylinder booking hassles, doorstep convenience, safety, and cost efficiency.

He also called for intensive awareness campaigns through social media platforms and the organisation of connection camps to speed up household onboarding.

The Chief Secretary told that 490 CNG stations have been established in the state so far, while PNG connections have been provided to 1,380 commercial and industrial units and 153,000 households.

He stressed the need to further accelerate implementation of domestic piped gas connections in line with government priorities.

He also directed industrial training institutes (ITIs) to provide a list of 5,000 trained plumbers to Rajasthan State Gas Limited to support training and deployment for D-PNG connections.

Regular review of progress was also mandated.

Rajasthan Additional Chief Secretary (Mines and Petroleum), Aparna Arora, instructed CGD entities to identify LPG-free areas in coordination with departments so that these zones can be formally declared as LPG-free as per Central government guidelines.

She also emphasised large-scale awareness campaigns to encourage public adoption of D-PNG connections and highlighted the need to expand services to commercial and industrial consumers alongside households.

Rajasthan Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Bhaskar Sawant, and State Additional Chief Secretary (Urban Development) Alok Gupta also shared suggestions on strengthening and expanding the PNG network.

Rajasthan State Gas Limited (RSGL) Managing Director Vinay Patni provided a progress update, saying that RSGL, in collaboration with IIT Kota, has conducted workshops for plumbers aimed at building skilled manpower while also generating employment opportunities for youth.

The meeting was attended by senior officials including Suresh Ola, Namrata Vrishni, and Avdhesh Singh, along with representatives from Finance, Food and Civil Supplies, Transport, Petroleum departments, RSGL, and all 13 CGD entities.

–IANS

arc/khz