Consumers in Tricity are set to be supplied gas through pipelines as the Centre has approved a proposal to supply piped natural gas (PNG) to Chandigarh and its adjoining areas. The gas will be supplied for domestic and commercial use with the first connection expected to be rolled out within a year. Apart from Chandigarh,the piped gas line will cater to Mohali,Panchkula,Baddi,Parwanoo and Nalagarh,among other places. The supply centre will be at Rajpura. The pipeline is to be a joint venture between the state-run Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and the Adani Gas; the project is expected to get underway in the coming weeks. As per the proposal,pipelines will be laid across Tricity while meters will be installed in houses and residents will be billed as per their usage. The new system has two major advantages: Residents can do away with LPG cylinders and PNG is relatively cheaper as compared to LPG. With the availability of subsidised cylinders having reduced,PNG might provide some relief. A senior official of the UT Administration stated that with the Centres approval,details of the project are being worked out. The aim,he added,is to bring the entire city under the ambit of the piped gas system. The proposal has been two years in the making when there was a demand to extend the main gas supply line,from Saharanpur in UP to Ludhiana in Punjab,to Chandigarh and its adjoining areas. The Punjab pipeline will pass through Ambala in Haryana around 45 kilometres from the city. Former Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Murli Deora had given his assurance for the project that would benefit a majority of the citys 10.55 lakh population that have LPG connections. A pilot project had earlier been initiated in the city for supplying LPG through pipelines. A space was created in one of the housing societies where LPG cylinders were kept and gas was supplied.
