BMC cuts red tape to push PNG rollout

The urgency arises from a crippling shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) used for cooking, due to the war in West Asia

MUMBAI: The civic administration has introduced sweeping relaxations to fast-track the installation of piped natural gas (PNG) across Mumbai, facilitating the transition from LPG to piped cooking gas.

BMC cuts red tape to push PNG rollout

The urgency arises from a crippling shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) used for cooking, due to the war in West Asia. PNG supply has so far not been disrupted for domestic consumers, with the state government mandating that residents make the switch from LPG to PNG in areas where piped gas infrastructure is already available, within three months.

In view of this, a circular was issued by the BMC’s chief engineer (roads and traffic) Girish Nikam, on March 30, stating that where Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL) is the PNG provider, ward offices have been directed to treat all existing and pending applications as deemed approved, allowing immediate commencement of work. For new applications, permissions are to be granted within 24 hours across all categories of roads.

The circular introduces wide-ranging relaxations in financial requirements for MGL. The company has also been allowed to carry out work round the clock, with seasonal restrictions relaxed until June 30. The requirement of prior no-objection certificates from the chief fire officer and traffic police has also been eased, with only daily intimation to ward offices now required.

“We want MGL to start the work and have waived all formalities. The demand note can be settled later. If they are willing to restore the road, they need not pay upfront. We want to expedite the process,” said Nikam.

A senior BMC official said that earlier, roads under the defect liability period (DLP) – the three-year period after a road is concretised or asphalted – required clearance from the chief engineer, but this has been relaxed. Now ward officers and assistant engineers (roads) are authorised to take decisions, covering both DLP and non-DLP roads.

In H-West ward, around ten applications that were in process have been deemed approved since the circular was issued. In F-South ward, three applications have been received since the circular, with work already started on one and set to begin on the other two, a civic official said.