Panaji, Apr 13 (TOI): Piped natural gas (PNG) will soon cease to be a mere pipe dream for residents of Ponda. Goa Natural Gas, a joint venture of Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL) and Bharat Petroleum Ltd, has completed installation of the secondary low pressure, underground gas polyethylene pipe network in the town.

It is now in the process of connecting households to the piped gas network using galvanised iron (GI) pipes, a task that is expected to be completed by the end of the monsoon.

“We have begun accepting applications for connections. Ten housing societies from Ponda and Old Goa, have applied. We should be in a position to start supplying natural gas by the year-end,” a senior officer at Goa Natural Gas said.

The company is looking for a small tract of land in Ponda to set up a district regulating station that will reducethe pressure of thePNG from 19 bar to 4 bar.

Ponda is the nearest town to the existing 175-km-long pipeline that connects Vasco to the 30-inch Dabhol-Bengaluru natural gas pipeline. The pipeline supplies natural gas to the Zuari plant in Mormugao.

Along with Ponda and Old Goa, Goa Natural Gas has commenced work in the capital. Although work is nearly complete in Miramar and Caranzalem, residents will have to wait a bit longer for PNG. “We want to start in St Cruz and other parts, but the monsoon is coming, so work may have to stop,” the officer said.

Once implemented, piped cooking gas will be delivered to residents through the network and consumers will be billed on a monthly basis. Currently, customers pay for a gas cylinder as and when the existing cylinder is exhausted.