New Delhi: The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) on Friday extended the National PNG Drive until June 30, saying the move was needed to sustain the momentum in Piped Natural Gas (PNG) expansion amid global geopolitical developments affecting energy supply chains. The board said a “whole of Government approach” is being used to mitigate the impact of LPG supply disruptions on domestic and commercial consumers by strengthening the PNG network.
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The decision followed a comprehensive review by PNGRB Chairperson Dr AK Jain, on March 31 of city gas distribution (CGD) network expansion, compliance with government directives and new measures to improve consumer connectivity.
PNGRB said the National PNG Drive, launched in January 2026, was introduced to accelerate CGD infrastructure rollout with time-bound targets for PNG-D, PNG-C and CNG station commissioning across all authorised geographical areas. As of March 31, CGD entities had developed additional DPNG infrastructure for 6.5 lakh connections, with gas supply started for nearly 5.29 lakh domestic consumers and 2,457 commercial consumers.
The board also said 11 new geographical areas have been connected to the natural gas pipeline network, taking the total to 250 GAs connected to the natural gas trunk pipeline. Since March 15, more than 10,000 new PNG connections have been provided daily on average, and entities have been directed to increase this pace to meet current demand.
The press release said the government, through the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, PNGRB and other departments, has issued targeted measures to manage LPG supply disruption while strengthening the gas-based energy ecosystem. These include the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (Regulation of Supply and Distribution) Amendment Order dated March 14 and the Natural Gas & Petroleum Products Distribution Gazette Notification dated March 24.
PNGRB said a reform linking allocation of commercial LPG with CGD expansion in states has already started delivering results by accelerating infrastructure growth and improving last-mile connectivity. It added that the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is working with PNGRB, state governments, municipal authorities and CGD entities to better align urban planning with energy infrastructure development.
The regulator said it has issued additional advisories to prioritise PNG connections for households and institutional users such as canteens, hostels, mess facilities, hotels and restaurants, and hospitals. It has also backed expansion of PNG coverage and temporary suspension of imbalance charges to support consumers and improve network efficiency.
To track the rollout closely, PNGRB said it has mandated reporting of DPNG connections, CNG station commissioning, commercial connections and other performance parameters through a designated portal. The release said PNG gas supply is being ensured for over 10,000 new domestic households and 50 new commercial establishments every day.
For consumer access, the chairperson has directed all CGD entities to web-host their PNG expansion or rollout plans area-wise and municipality-wise on their websites. Entities have also been asked to create online registration formats, assess a prospective consumer’s proximity to the nearest CGD network during registration, and provide tentative connection timelines along with reasons. Pending registration details will also have to be published online.
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PNGRB said these steps are meant to help CGD entities plan targeted network extensions, prioritise high-demand areas and reduce turnaround time for new connections. The board said it is moving to ensure that the transition from LPG to PNG is accelerated in a “time-bound, measurable and consumer-centric manner.”