A significant rise in applications for piped natural gas (PNG) connections has been reported in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, following a coordinated initiative by the state cooperation department to convert eligible housing societies, officials told TOI on Saturday.
This surge in demand has led Maharashtra Natural Gas Ltd (MNGL) to plan a capacity expansion starting from the first week of May. Authorities noted that outreach efforts targeting more than 6,500 housing societies with existing gas infrastructure—encouraging full adoption of domestic PNG—have resulted in a sharp increase in registrations.
A recent meeting with the deputy commissioner of co-operative housing societies led to formal communication being sent to these societies, urging complete transition in areas where pipelines are already installed or can be extended.
As a result of these campaigns, MNGL has seen daily registrations rise drastically from around 40–50 earlier to nearly 400. Officials stated that meeting this growing demand will require additional resources, including trained field staff.
"We are increasing our resources through contractor mobilisation and expect operations to pick up pace from early May," an MNGL official said.
The cooperation department is focusing particularly on housing societies where pipelines exist, but usage remains partial. Cooperation commissioner Deepak Taware stated that only 40–50% of households in many such societies currently use PNG. "We are encouraging societies to fully transition to piped gas to reduce reliance on LPG cylinders and make better use of existing infrastructure," he said.
Members of housing society federations confirmed they are informing residents about the benefits of switching. "We have applied and are currently awaiting approval," said a resident from a housing society in Kothrud.
