For 50,000 residents, piped gas is still a pipe dream

For Juinagar resident Palavi Salve who juggles work and responsibilities at home, receiving uninterrupted cooking gas could make a huge difference to a hectic life.

But this continuous supply of the cooking gas at the turn of tap has eluded Salve's home, even though she paid an initial deposit two years ago.

Wait continues: A building in Sanpada where work related to pipelines has been completed, but supply of cooking gas continues to elude residents

"I am a working woman and can't wait at home for the gas company to replace the finished cylinder. So I opted for the piped gas connection. But two years later, I am still waiting for the supply to commence. It would make things so much easier for me, as I wouldn't have to worry about the cylinder running out," said the sector-24 resident Salve.

Nearly 50,000 Navi Mumbai residents like the Salves have paidthe Rs 500 deposit and are eagerly waiting for their connection, but the delay continues.

BJP general secretary, Navi Mumbai, Santosh Pachalag, said, "Why is there such a delay even after taking the registration money? Collecting a gas cylinder from the gas agency is cumbersome, as in several households both the husband and wife areworking. Keeping that in mind why can't agency speed up the work, and provide the families some relief?"

Agency explains
Mahanagar Gas Ltd (MGL), the agency providing the cooking gas, claims that facilitating a piped network and providing gas connections is an infrastructure-intensive job.

"Yes, we have collected Rs 500 for registration. But that's to get an understanding of how many people are interested from a particular area, so that accordingly we can formulate a plan and start the installation of pipelines in the buildings," said a MGL official from Sanpada, on condition of anonymity.

"MGL is collecting only a token amount of Rs 500 for the registration. Notwithstanding the above, MGL is still continuing to lay pipes to the customers' premises and the entire cost is borne by the company."

According to MGL officials, the work is being carried out in phases and they hope to start supply in March. But with MGL being the only PNG provider in the satellite city, residents continue to wait for a hassle-free supply of cooking gas.u00a0