The Maharashtra government has asked people to shift from Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to Piped Natural Gas (PNG) within three months, warning that LPG connections may be cut if they fail to comply.
However, it has also clarified that this rule will not apply to areas where PNG infrastructure is not available. Despite this, the ground situation appears to be quite different from the policy.
Sion in Mumbai has emerged as a key example, where many areas still do not have fully developed PNG infrastructure. Residents here continue to depend on LPG cylinders for both household needs and small businesses, but now even LPG supply has become irregular, increasing their difficulties.
A local hotel owner in Sion says, "There is no question of PNG here; the infrastructure simply doesn't exist. We are completely dependent on commercial cylinders, and now even getting those has become difficult." He adds that delays in cylinder supply have forced them to shut their hotel at times. "We are now cooking on coal," he says.
Another business owner shares a similar concern: "Even after filling out forms for commercial cylinders, we have to wait. The supply doesn't come on time, and it is affecting our work."
The situation is not limited to Sion.
Residents in areas like Lower Parel are facing similar issues. One resident says, "When our society was redeveloped, there was no PNG infrastructure. Seeing the current situation, we applied immediately, but we are still waiting."
Domestic consumers are also affected.
One resident says, "In the past few weeks, we did not get gas for 15-20 days. We somehow managed when it finally came, but it caused a lot of trouble."
Some people also claim they had to buy cylinders at higher prices due to limited supply.
"We applied in February itself, even before the minister's announcement. Now the engineer says there is a backlog. They are giving a timeline of 1-2 weeks, but the infrastructure is still not ready," said Chetan, one of the residents of the building which has applied for the PNG.
He adds, "Line expansion work is underway, but it will take time. Getting a connection soon seems unlikely."
There are also complaints about LPG supply. Another person says, "The frequency of gas supply has reduced a lot. We often have to wait, and some people even have to buy it in the black market."
Overall, while the government's intention may be to reduce dependence on LPG and improve supply, the ground reality shows that the infrastructure is not fully ready.
In some places, the network is missing; in others, the process is incomplete, and in many areas, supply remains inconsistent.
