Pune: The state’s cooperation department will reach out to chairmen and committee members of over 6,000 housing societies in the city to push a shift of all their residents to piped natural gas (PNG), amid LPG supply disruptions triggered by the West Asia conflict. District deputy registrars are set to write to societies where infrastructure for this move exists, but usage remains low.State cooperation commissioner Deepak Taware said the initiative aims to reduce pressure on LPG supply and ensure fuel availability for all citizens.“There are 22,955 housing societies in Pune city, of which 6,035 have piped gas connections, but only 20–30% of their residents are using it. We are writing to committee members to urge that all members in these societies should switch to piped gas connection at the earliest to reduce the load on LPG supply,” Taware said.The cooperation department convened a meeting last week with state housing federation members and Maharashtra Natural Gas Ltd (MNGL) officials to discuss the way forward and strategies to increase adoption.Taware said the respective district deputy registrars will directly engage with society committees to ensure faster conversion. State housing federation members who attended the meeting said that they have already put out the message to all their members. “The letter will be sent out soon by the department. We are facilitating the move by providing relevant details of housing societies that have PNG connections,” a federation member told TOI.MNGL director Bageshree Manthalkar reiterated that the focus is on societies where pipelines are already laid but residents have not opted for PNG connections. “The facility is at their doorstep but many are not using it. The cooperation department is writing to the chairman and society members to change this at the earliest,” she said.Manthalkar added that PNG connections are being fast-tracked for more housing societies. The first phase targets two lakh households, which could save nearly four lakh LPG cylinders and ease supply for common citizens. She further said that 10 prominent colleges in Pune city have been provided piped gas for their hostels’ mess, and the same will be planned for the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU). “A survey is on for this,” she added.A district deputy registrar who attended the recent meeting said incentives could help accelerate adoption. “Housing societies should be given incentives for all their members switching to PNG, similar to the benefits given for rainwater harvesting and other civic initiatives. If cooperative housing societies receive some financial or policy incentives, the transition will be faster and residents will be more willing to shift,” the official said.Housing society representatives said awareness, internal approvals and cost concerns remain key challenges, especially in older buildings where residents prefer LPG cylinders as backup.The push comes after the Centre unveiled a new framework to strengthen consumer-focused gas service delivery and accelerate PNG adoption, mandating time-bound connections in areas where pipeline infrastructure exists and introducing safeguards against denial of pipeline access. Govt has also invoked emergency powers under the Essential Commodities Act to fast-track PNG rollout to improve energy security, expand gas distribution networks and reduce dependence on LPG imports.Officials said the joint initiative of the cooperation department and MNGL is expected to accelerate PNG penetration across Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad, with district-level monitoring and direct engagement with housing societies in coming weeks.
