JOIN USGAIL Gas ready to supply PNG to 20,000 houses in Bengaluru
Expanding its footprint across Bengaluru, GAIL Gas is now ready with a pipeline network that can cater to 20,000 households in the city. By the year-end, the company’s City Gas Distribution (CGD) project will have its capacity enhanced to supply the green gas to 45,000 households.
Designed to ensure 1.32 lakh domestic connections in the city over the next five years, the project has also identified 40 commercial consumers, the company officials told DH.
GAIL Gas had kicked off the supply of Piped Natural Gas (PNG) in Bengaluru by catering to 568 houses in BEL Colony, 178 in HSR Layout and 28 in Jindal Colony.
The pipeline-laying work is at an advanced stage in the Marathahalli-HAL area. GAIL has adopted the Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) technique, a steerable trenchless method to instal the underground pipes. This has minimised damage to many roads that were recently relaid and asphalted in Annasandrapalya and surrounding areas.
Discussions are currently under way between GAIL Gas and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) to lay the pipeline infrastructure in all colonies attached to the Defence PSU located along Old Airport Road and Suranjan Das Road. Similar talks are in progress for gas supply to quarters attached to Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML). Over 150 private apartments and gated communities across the city have registered for connections. Besides, the network will be ready to supply PNG to 3,000 individual houses in HSR Layout and surrounding areas over the next two months, GAIL officials informed.
GAIL Gas had earlier launched an awareness programme to educate the public about the safety aspects of the piped gas and its advantages over LPG supplied through cylinders. A spokesperson said all the existing consumers had given positive feedback on the safety, convenience and ease of billing.
Smart meters, offered for the first time to GAIL Gas’s domestic PNG consumers in Bengaluru, had found wide acceptance. “Smart meters make the billing process very accurate, minimising human error. Consumers, the women in particular, have found the device very convenient as the readings are read remotely. Nobody needs to enter the house,” explained the spokesperson.
Besides HAL, the gas supply will cover Kamalanagar, Hennur, BHEL, Silk Board, Shantinagar and Malleswaram over the next two years. The third year will see the PNG pipelines reach Kasturi Nagar, BEML, Yeshwantpur, Sanjay Nagar, RMV Extension, Koramangala and Electronics City. In the fourth year, Jayanagar, JP Nagar, Yelahanka, Sahakarnagar, Domlur and Indiranagar will be covered.