NDMC waives road restoration charges to boost PNG connections

NDMC waives road restoration charges for PNG installation in Delhi for three months, aiming to expedite pipeline work amid LPG shortages.

New Delhi: In a move to ease the process of installing piped natural gas (PNG) in New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) areas, road restoration charges for laying of Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) pipelines have been waived off by the council for the next three months, officials announced on Friday. Further, permission of road cutting for the purpose will be granted within 24 hours, they said.

The decision comes amid disruptions in commercial Liquified Petroleum Gas supply in the country (HT)

The decision comes amid a shortage of commercial Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders in the country due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia.

Road restoration fees are levied by civic agencies on utility agencies for repairing public roads, footpaths, or berms damaged during excavation, such as laying cables or pipelines.

“We have further directed that road cutting permission for IGL pipeline laying shall be granted within 24 hours of receiving a complete request, along with instructions to commence work immediately. The move is intended to remove procedural delays and ensure smooth coordination between departments,” an NDMC official said.

The NDMC has also instructed IGL to carry out the work on a priority basis and to ensure that all portions of the road which are excavated during the work are properly filled back and secured.

“The concerned road divisions of NDMC have also been directed to carry out restoration of affected stretches on priority so that disruption to traffic and inconvenience to the general public is minimised,” said the official quoted above.

However, establishments in NDMC areas stated that the root problem is IGL does not have enough capacity to provide new connections, and that waiving of road restoration charges will not solve the issue.

“NDMC should implement this decision only after IGL is actually able to provide new connections. We have been trying to get pipeline connections for the last 20 years, but have not been able to get permission. Earlier, IGL had taken money from consumers, but returned it when they could not get permission for new connections. After all, their main supply comes from West Asia,” said Vikram Badhwar, general secretary of Connaught Place shopkeepers’ association.