Chandigarh, August 7, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A high-level meeting was held in Chandigarh on Friday to review the expansion of the City Gas Distribution (CGD) network and address operational challenges in accelerating the adoption of cleaner natural gas across the Union Territory.
A delegation from the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), led by Chairperson Anil Kumar Jain and including Director (Monitoring) Lt. Col. Kumar Abhishek, met Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria for discussions on strengthening the city’s gas infrastructure.
The meeting focused on expanding access to natural gas and resolving key bottlenecks that could delay the rollout of clean and convenient fuel options for households and other consumers.
Following the meeting, Kataria inaugurated Piped Natural Gas (PNG) supply at Raj Bhavan, marking a step forward in Chandigarh’s transition towards cleaner energy. The move is also expected to set an example for wider adoption of sustainable energy solutions across the Union Territory.
The Centre has been encouraging the expansion of PNG connections in cities as an alternative to LPG, particularly amid energy supply concerns arising from the West Asia crisis. Nearly five lakh new PNG connections have been added as consumers shifted from LPG to natural gas for cooking, while more than 5.1 lakh additional consumers have registered for new connections since March this year.
Consumers have also been encouraged to consider alternative cooking options, including PNG and electric or induction cooktops, while conserving energy in their daily use.
The PNGRB has also proposed changes to the tariff framework for long-distance natural gas pipelines, aimed at providing lower transportation costs for city gas entities supplying CNG for vehicles and PNG to households.
Natural gas pipeline transmission tariffs are regulated by the PNGRB and are designed to provide a 12 per cent return on capital employed. Earlier, tariffs were apportioned according to the length of the pipeline, resulting in higher costs for consumers located farther from gas sources.
To address this distance-related disparity, a unified tariff system for consumers connected to the national natural gas grid was proposed in November 2020 and subsequently implemented from April 1, 2023.
The expansion of Chandigarh’s CGD network is expected to improve access to natural gas while supporting the Union Territory’s broader transition towards cleaner and more sustainable energy.
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