New apartments get piped connections

Piped gas connections have become popular in Bangalore’s individual households and apartment complexes. Time was when people would wait endlessly for a gas cylinder to be delivered.

Even to this day, the waiting hasn’t completely stopped. But alongside the waiting, there has been a positive development in gas distribution over the last three  years - gas cylinders are being procured faster when it comes to servicing apartments and the practice of supplying gas through pipes has taken root. And people are getting these cylinders at subsidised rates after verification of UID number of the consumers. IOC officials say commercial rates will kick in once the subsidised quota is exhausted.

Piped gas supply is based on the electricity meter model. Anke Gowda, a
supplier of gas cylinders who manages gas supply in apartments close to Bana­sha­nkari says all the gas cylinders of apartments are placed below in an enclosure which is secure. “There may be 20, 30 or 50 cylinders, but supply of gas is through a single, common outlet conne­cted to pipes that ultimately supply the gas to the kitchen.

The tap in the kitchen is conne­cted to the stove and all people have to do is just open the tap. The family will be charged based on what the meter shows. Like electricity meters, there are also gas meters. Some families consume more and some families less, and each family pays a different amount depending on the gas consumption shown by meter.”

Gowda says the piped supply is so convenient that he hasn’t had a single complaint from any family about supply. “I manage gas supply in apartments as well as individual houses. No one has so far brought up any problem.” Rangarajan N, a resident of Ramamurthynagar has piped gas connection for his ground floor and first floor. “We haven’t faced any problem so far.

There has also been no leakage. I am comfortable keeping the cylinder outside the house. If at all any mishap were to happen, it would be away from the immediate living space. Overall, it’s been good.” The pipe is embedded inside the wall and if done carefully, it wouldn’t have leaking points.

The agencies supplying gas to many apartments classify the cylinders non-domestic as bulk purchases are made by apartments. But there have been cases of cylinders being supplied at subsidised rates too. “Different apartments have different policies - some attract commercial rates, while others attract subsidised rates. There is a bit of confusion over commercial and subsidised cylinders. The builders will have to intervene and make clear the type of gas connection apartment families will get. The money paid by residents is both commercial and subsidised rates,” says Gowda. It is also for the agencies to make clear whether subsidised cylinders are permitted. But the inclination seems to be to consider them commercial. Most new apartments these days come with a ready-made gas pipe connection.

With many families having returned from the US where piped supply is the norm, the families would prefer piped supply here too. Scores of apartments in Whitefield, Sarjapur and Hebbal have piped gas connections built by well-known developers. The piped gas connection experience began about three years ago and has now become a norm in profiles of apartments designed by major developers. In a few cases, the piped connection has been built, but gas meters are yet to be installed. Once installed, the families readily shift to the new set-up. The cost of piped gas is included in the original price quoted by builders to the residents.