Patna: Residents of Bihta are set to get access to piped natural gas (PNG), with preparations underway to begin door-to-door connections in the area from December.
The expansion has gathered pace following the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) granting a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for laying and extending the PNG pipeline. The pipeline has already reached Bihta Chowk, from where the network will now be expanded further.
Pipeline to extend to Sikandarpur industrial area
GAIL general manager A.K. Sinha said work is underway to extend the pipeline from Bihta Chowk to the industrial area in Sikandarpur.
GAIL will establish a gas dispatch centre in Sikandarpur, following which PNG supply will begin in nearby residential and industrial areas.
The company is also preparing to connect the wider Bihta region with both PNG and CNG networks. According to Sinha, completing the pipeline expansion and associated infrastructure could take around five to six months.
The objective is to subsequently provide piped gas connections to households as well as industrial units.
Households to get gas directly through pipelines
The availability of PNG is expected to make cooking gas more convenient for domestic consumers by eliminating the need to book and receive LPG cylinders.
Once connected, households will receive gas directly through the pipeline.
Industrial establishments are also expected to benefit from a continuous gas supply as GAIL expands the network in view of Bihta’s growing industrial activity.
Fatuha industries to get PNG from next month
GAIL is also expanding the PNG network in the Fatuha industrial area, where industrial units are expected to begin receiving PNG connections next month.
Once the pipeline infrastructure is ready, connections will be provided to industrial units in phases, allowing factories and other establishments to shift to piped gas.
LPG connections to be surrendered after PNG connection
Under Central Government directives, consumers in areas where the PNG pipeline has reached will be required to surrender their existing LPG connections after obtaining a PNG connection.
The switch is mandatory in such areas, and failure to comply could result in suspension of the existing LPG connection.
Consumers will have to surrender their LPG connections through the prescribed procedure once their PNG connection becomes operational.
