Mumbai: A section of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) dealers is supplying 19kg commercial cylinders to city hotels and restaurants only on the condition that they first apply for a piped natural gas (PNG) connection and show proof of the application before delivery, industry sources said on Monday.The move, being described as a temporary arrangement, is aimed at shifting commercial establishments to PNG wherever pipeline connectivity is feasible. Until the piped connection is provided at hotel premises, dealers will continue to supply the blue commercial cylinders, sources said.AHAR president Vijay Shetty confirmed that delivery staff from some gas agencies are insisting on proof of PNG application before handing over commercial LPG cylinders “in select areas” of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and parts of Maharashtra. It is only upon showing the copy of application the 19kg blue cylinders are being handed over to the hoteliers in select areas, he added.“Why are the agencies insisting on having an application made by hotels only in certain pockets or areas of MMR or Maharashtra? Ideally it should be implemented uniformly across MMR or state so that all the hotels get a chance to switch over to commercial PNG in larger numbers and become cylinder free,” Shetty told TOI.An official from Mahanagar Gas Ltd (MGL) said applications are being accepted from all hotels and restaurants located “close to existing pipeline networks”. According to an official, most large and five-star hotels are already fully connected to piped gas. The official said expansion had been delayed for years in areas such as south Mumbai because permissions for road digging were difficult to obtain and charges were high.“With fresh support from the Centre and the Maharashtra government, including deemed permissions for pipeline-laying applications submitted earlier, the company is now accelerating work,” the MGL official said.Officials said there is little point in taking up connections where the nearest gas line is too far, but resources are being diverted to maximise the number of new commercial connections. Another official said the government mandate is to provide gas access across Mumbai. Hotels and restaurants can apply either online or by visiting the office.A senior government official said no dry-outs had been reported at LPG distributorships. Commercial LPG allocation, which had earlier been restored to 20%, has now been raised to 70% of pre-crisis levels. Officials also said refineries are operating at high capacity, domestic LPG production has been stepped up, and adequate fuel stocks are being maintained. 5kg cylinders given to migrant workers in cityLPG dealers across Mumbai have begun giving 5kg LPG cylinders for migrant workers after checking their photo IDs and getting a declaration signed by them. A dealer in eastern suburbs said that on an average 20-30 such cylinders have been given in the past two days. Nationally, sources said, more than 88,000 cylinders weighing 5kg have been given to migrant workers in the past two days.
