Vadodara: Gaurang Rajput, a resident of Baranpura in Vadodara, applied for a piped natural gas (PNG) connection more than two years ago and finally got it this month after repeated follow-ups with Vadodara Gas Ltd (VGL).VGL is now grappling with a sharp rise in demand, though it already had a backlog of around 5,000 connection applications as of March 16. The situation worsened with a surge of new applications, stretching the city gas distribution (CGD) joint venture between Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) and Gail Gas Ltd. Even in normal conditions, VGL was taking about three months to provide connections in societies and apartments where the gas network exists. Rajput said he was told that the ageing pipeline network in his area, laid during the initial phase of city gas distribution by VMC, needed replacement to ensure adequate gas pressure. However, delays are also being reported in areas where pipelines have been laid recently. Residents of localities such as Gotri have been waiting for nearly three months for new connections. VGL earlier managed to keep the backlog below 5,000 despite network expansion and an increase in customers and aimed to reduce pending applications. The number has since risen and is expected to grow in the wake of the March 24 order by the Union petroleum ministry. Under the directive, households in areas where PNG pipelines exist will have to take connections unless technically infeasible. Such houses will not be supplied LPG cylinders three months after the PNG company issues a written intimation asking them to shift. To cope with the pressure, VGL has deployed additional teams. The company earlier provided around 50 connections a day, a number that has now been increased to over 125. Demand, however, has jumped from 52 applications a day to nearly 200, with even 400 people approaching VGL on certain days. A senior official said the ministry’s directive is expected to further strain CGD companies. “VGL has pressed more teams into action to ensure that all new applications and the backlog are taken care of,” said Swapnil Shukla, head of the PNG department at VGL. He added that the company does not yet have a clear estimate of how many households in its network area do not have PNG connections. Similar challenges have emerged in other towns. In Godhra, residents have been waiting for over a month for gas connections, with sources citing labour shortages as a key reason. In one society, residents are resisting new connections as neither the CGD company nor the municipality has assured them of restoring the roads that will be dug up to lay pipelines. Sources in CGD companies in Ahmedabad said timelines vary widely depending on infrastructure readiness, with an upper limit of 60 to 90 days in more complex cases. “In areas where the network is in place, connections can typically be activated in 10 days or less. For apartment complexes that require limited last-mile extension, the process may take up to 30 days. However, in bungalow societies, where pipelines must be laid across the entire locality, the timeline is longer due to the need for extensive network expansion,” a source told TOI. The surge is also being witnessed by Gujarat Gas Ltd, which operates in 21 geographical areas (GAs) in the state. “We have seen a surge in new applications after the new rules across all the GAs. We are working on top priority and handling multiple factors simultaneously. While pipeline laying is underway on one side, we are also developing household connection infrastructure to speed up the process,” a company official said. (Inputs from Niyati Parikh and Parag Dave in Ahmedabad) Voices from the ground Gaurang Rajput, Vadodara “I had to wait more than two years to get a piped gas connection. I completed all formalities from my end, but the process was delayed as the company wanted to replace some old lines in the area.” Nayan Pathak, Godhra “Neither the gas company nor the municipality has given us clarity on who will restore the road after it is dug up for the pipeline. We applied for connections for all 17 houses in the society, but have not got them yet.”
