Patna, April 6 Bihar Chief Secretary Pratyaya Amrit said on Monday that strict action will be taken against oil companies that fail to achieve the piped natural gas (PNG) rollout target set by the government.
Chairing a meeting of the Crisis Management Group, which has been constituted to ensure uninterrupted availability of essential goods and services in view of the West Asia conflict, he said that, except for a few districts such as Patna and Muzaffarpur, the number of PNG connections is significantly lower than the targets.
Expressing strong displeasure over the slow pace of PNG rollout in the state, Amrit directed representatives of oil companies to ensure that work is carried out on the ground in a mission-mode, a statement issued by the Cabinet Secretariat Department said.
He said that any laxity on the part of oil companies in achieving the targets would result in strict action, according to the statement.
Except for a few districts such as Patna and Muzaffarpur, the number of actual connections in most areas is significantly lower than the targets. In several places, there are technical hurdles such as delays in land allocation and other approvals, it said.
The chief secretary directed the nodal department to continuously monitor the progress and submit a detailed report to him every Monday, it added.
All divisional commissioners and in-charge secretaries have also been instructed to regularly visit their allotted districts and conduct physical inspections of contractors and manpower deployed there, the statement said.
At the meeting, a detailed presentation on the backlog of LPG cylinders was given, highlighting issues particularly in Arwal, Gaya, Kaimur, Rohtas, Saran, and West Champaran.
Representatives of oil companies told the meeting that around 90 per cent of cylinder deliveries are now being made only through OTP verification on registered mobile numbers.