Patna: The Bihar government has directed officials to expedite the rollout of piped natural gas (PNG) connections in residential colonies and apartment complexes, with the chief minister stating that the “priority is to ensure maximum convenience for common citizens.”
Chairing a review meeting of the Food and Consumer Protection Department at the ‘Sankalp’ Auditorium in Patna’s 1 Aney Marg residence complex, Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary was briefed on the state’s fuel and energy supply situation, including petrol, diesel, PNG and LPG availability.
Officials informed the meeting that 112,000 PNG connections are currently operational across Bihar, while 25,813 new applications are under process. The department said installation work is “progressing rapidly.”
The chief minister asked officials to focus particularly on community housing clusters, including colonies and apartment blocks, to widen access to piped gas. He instructed departments to accelerate implementation so that the service can reach deeper into urban residential areas.
“Our priority is to ensure that the facility of PNG reaches the homes of common citizens swiftly,” Choudhary said, urging officials to remove bottlenecks in execution.
The review also assessed fuel availability in the state. Officials said supplies of petrol, diesel and LPG were sufficient, with no immediate shortage reported. The chief minister appealed to residents not to panic and to avoid unnecessary travel in four-wheeler vehicles.
He also encouraged greater adoption of electric vehicles as part of a broader push towards cleaner energy use.
Senior officials including Food and Consumer Protection Minister Ashok Choudhary, Chief Secretary Pratyaya Amrit, and other top bureaucrats and representatives of oil companies attended the meeting.
